Module 23: Thinking and Language Chapter 10: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

What is it that makes us human? Are there characteristics that separate us from other species? Cognitive Abilities—the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering. Thinking is involved in almost every aspect of your day-to-day life (what clothes to wear, what to watch on TV, what to eat, etc.)

Module 23:Thinking We organize vast amounts of information with ease—on the subconscious and conscious level. How do we define concept, and why is a concept useful?

Concept—a mental group based on shared similarities. – You have a concept for trees, cars, balls, etc. – They allow you to make instant judgments about new objects you’ve never seen before Encountering new information for which you have no matching concepts is awkward (can you say Pat from Saturday Night Live???) – Other examples???

Problem Solving What are algorithms and heuristics, and how do they help us solve problems?

We all have several strategies we apply when problems arise in our lives. Algorithms—a strategy that guarantees a solution to a problem – Mathematical formulas – Going thru every combination to unlock a locker – Checking every shelf in the grocery store until you find the item you are looking for Algorithms are not always efficient

Heuristic—a rule of thumb that increases our efficiency but does not always lead us to the correct solutions. – Use “i before e except after c” – “Look before you leap” – “Don’t judge a book by its cover” – Checking in the canned goods section of a grocery store to find a particular brand of baked beans – They are shortcuts Insight—the sudden realization (Aha!) of the solution to a problem. – it’s the light bulb over a cartoon character’s head – It’s why we enjoy doing puzzles and word problems

Problems Solving Problems How can fixation, the confirmation bias, heuristics, overconfidence, framing, and belief perseverance influence our ability to solve problems?

Normal tendencies can hinder our ability to solve problems effectively Mental set—a tendency to approach a problem in a particular way – Are efficient and may lead to a rapid solution – Chess players like to open with a particular move because they have learned it usually leads to a win Sometimes mental set can get in the way…instead of becoming a problem- solving strategy, it becomes a fixation – A rigidly applied recipe that constitutes an obstacle You need to “think outside of the box” See Figures 23.3 and 23.4

A special kind of fixation is known as functional fixedness—the inability to think of different uses for objects What if you need to remove a screw but you don’t have access to a screwdriver? See Figure 23.5 Confirmation bias—our tendency to focus on information that supports one’s preconceptions Can you think of any examples? Availability heuristic— estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory winning lottery (bad); thunder and rain (good)

Overconfidence Occurs when our confidence is greater than our accuracy – See example on pg. 439 Framing Is the way we present an issue – Can have a profound impact on judgment Condoms have a 95% success rate in stopping HIV OR Condoms have a 5% failure rate in stopping HIV