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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Cognitive psychology |
the branch of psychology that focuses on higher mental processes including thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning,and judging |
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language |
a system for communicating with others using signals that are combined according to rules |
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Human language is distinguished by its ability to... |
i. convey a huge number of concepts ii. refer to intangible things iii. help us think and organize thoughts |
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basic characteristics of language |
i.phonemes: the smallest units of sound recognizable as speech ii. morphemes: smallest meaningful language units iii.syntax: indicates how words are combined to form sentences iv. semantics: the meaning of words and sentences
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behaviorist approach on language |
language acquisition follows operant conditioning principles PROBLEMS: i.parents dont reinforce correct grammar ii.children use gram. they haven't been taught iii. children contin. to make errors that are not reinforced. |
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nativist theory on language |
capabilities are innate SUPPORT: i. deaf infants babble ii. lang. deve. proceeds sim. across culture iii. critical periods |
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Interactionist approach on language |
we have language predispositions that are then nurtured (explains why and how language develops) |
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Thought |
brain activity in which mental representation of info are manipulated (conceptualization requires thought) -can take on any sensory modality |
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mental images |
the minds representation of an object or event -can be visual, auditory, olfactory, etc. -many of the same properties as real objects |
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concepts |
mental images used to group similar objects or events based on shared features -categorize and simplify -why people do what they do -formed on the idea that objects must meet a certain standard -based on presence of features poss. by members |
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prototype |
typical example of a category that we compare other things against |
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exemplar theory |
we compare new objects to all members of that category, not just prototype |
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rational choice theory |
we make decisions by determining an outcomes likelihood and its value, then multiplying them |
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algorithms |
rules that when applied correctly guarantee accurate solutions (make decisions more rational) |
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heuristics |
mental shortcuts that can lead to correct solutions (make decisions less rational) -can save time -often save cognitive resources
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availability heuristic |
involves judging an items probability by the ease with which it can be recalled -items that occur frequently are easier to recall -then decide if its easier to recall it must be more freq. |
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conjunction fallacy |
occurs when we think two events are more likely to occur in conjunction then separately
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representativeness heuristic |
involves judging a person or event by the extent to which its typical (use heuristics even when probability of outcome is unknown) |
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familiarity heuristic |
involves judging familiar objects as superior (less likely to include negative outcomes but not always) |
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framing effect |
occurs when we respond to the same problem differently depending on its wording -sunk-cost fallacy: a decision influenced by a previous investment in the situation (ex:if i don't go to the concert i will lose money...) |
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prospect theory |
we take risks when evaluating potential losses and avoiding risks when evaluating potential gain |
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frequency format hypothesis |
we've evolved to notice frequencies, not percentages to probabilities (decisions involving them tend to be worse) ex: disk problem, tower of anoid |
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arrangement problems |
involve rearranging or recombining objects -anagrams: rearranging letters in each set to make english words (ex: lord voldemort=tom marvalo riddle) |
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structure induction problems |
identifying relations between objects and then creating a new relation |
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transformational problems |
consist of an initial state, a goal state, and identifying how to reach the goal state |
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analogical problem solving |
involves finding similar problems and applying their solution to the current problem |
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insight |
suddenly becoming aware of relations between elements in a problem (must be proceeded by practice) |
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how does insight occur? |
-problem elements are activated in memory outside of awareness, and when enough are activated we become aware of them and realize the solution |
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Why is problem solving so difficult? |
-functional fixedness: the tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical use -mental set: the tendency for old patterns of problem solving to persists |
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creativity |
the ability to generate unusual yet appropriate responses |
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Types of reasoning |
i. theoretical: reasoning toward a belief ii. practical: toward an action iii. syllogistic: involves drawing conclusions from a set premises |
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belief-bias |
the tendency to accept conclusions if they're believable, rather than logical
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