Cognition The mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. In general, cognition = thinking.

What is thought? There are basically two types of thought… 1.Concepts (schemas)…usually based on prototypes. 2.Images Our concept of men may include all of the following guys…. But they are based on our prototype (ideal) male…..

Problem Solving

Unscramble S P L O Y O C H Y G

 Algorithm  all 907,208 combinations  Heuristic  throw out all YY combinations  other heuristics?  PSYCHOLOGY !

Algorithms A rule that guarantees the right solution to a problem. Usually by using a formula. They work but are sometimes impractical.

Heuristics A rule of thumb that generally, but not always, can be used to make a judgment to solve a problem. It is fast, but is… Prone to errors Two major types of heuristics….

Representativeness Heuristic Judging a situation based on how similar the aspects are to the prototypes. E.G. - thinking everyone from NFHS is a redneck/hunter, or someone with glasses is nerdy, or a blonde is not smart. If I tell you that Sonia Dara is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, you would make certain quick judgments (heuristics) about her…like about her interests or intelligence. She was an economics major at Harvard University. Who went to Harvard and studied Economics? Greg is a smart dude, but did not go to Harvard (but he looks like he did).

Availability Heuristic Judging a situation based on the availability of information in memory. Which city has the highest murder rate? New York, NY Philadelphia, PA The crime rate of Philadelphia, PA is much higher than that of New York City. Click here for the 2013 stats.here

One day, as you walk through the hall, you find this key. How would you use an algorithm to find the lock to which this key belongs? What about a heuristic?

Hurdles to problem solving

Mental set your “formula” for success in a regular class vs AP a.k.a. rigidity The tendency to fall into established thought patterns.

Functional Fixedness (example of mental set) The inability to see a new use for an object. Think of as many uses as you can for a ……

Confirmation Bias Looking for evidence to confirm our beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts them. i.e. - One believes that all Italians are in shape and go tanning, then they turn on MTV. Look…I knew it was true!!! But is it really?

Framing 90% of the population will be saved with this medication…..or 10% of the population will die despite this medication. You should not drink more than two drinks per day….or You should not drink more than 730 drinks a year. Look at the following question and think about how the question is worded may effect the way it is answered. How can businesses become more socially responsible? The way a problem is presented can drastically effect the way we view it.

Overconfidence Our confidence is not a good indicator of how right we are. Belief Bias- People will tend to accept any and all conclusions that fit in with their systems of belief, without challenging or seriously considering what it is they believe Belief Perseverance- maintaining a belief even after it has been proven wrong

Artificial Intelligence designing computer systems to simulate human thinking and do intelligent things computer neural networks – computer circuits that mimic the brain’s neural cells, performing tasks such as learning to recognize visual patterns or cells