AP Psychology Unit VII Module 35

35-1 What cognitive strategies assist our problem solving, and what obstacles hinder it?

- An algorithm is a methodical, logical rule or procedure (such as a step-by-step description for evacuating a building during a fire) that guarantees a solution to a problem. - A heuristic is a simple thinking strategy that is usually speedier than an algorithm but is also more error-prone. -Insight is not a strategy-based solution, but rather a sudden flash of inspiration that solves a problem. - Obstacles to problem solving include confirmation bias, which predisposes is to verify rather than challenge our hypotheses, and fixation, such as mental set, which may prevent us from taking the fresh perspective that would lead to a solution.

35-2 What is intuition, and how can the availability and representativeness heuristics influence our decisions and judgements?

- Intuition is the effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thoughts we often use instead of systematic reasoning. -Heuristics enable snap judgements. The representativeness heuristic leads us to judge the likelihood of things in terms of how they represent our prototype for a group of items. Using the availability heuristic, we judge the likelihood of things based on how readily they come to mind, which often leads us to fear the wrong things.

35-4 How are our decisions and judgements affected by overconfidence, belief perseverance, and framing?

- Overconfidence can lead us to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs. - When a belief we have formed and explained has been discredited, belief perseverance may cause us to cling to that belief. A remedy is to consider how we might have explained an opposite result. -Framing is the way a question or statement is presented. Subtle differences in presentation can dramatically alter our responses.

35-5 How do smart thinkers use intuition?

- Smart thinkers welcome their intuitions (which are usually adaptive) but also know when to override them. - When making complex decisions, we may benefit from gathering as much information as possible and then taking time to let our two-track mind process it. - As people gain expertise, they grow adept at making quick, shrewd judgements.

35-3 What factors exaggerate our fear of unlikely events?

- We fear (1) what our ancestral history has prepared us to fear, even though these risks may no longer be significant; (2) what we cannot control; (3) what is immediate; and (4) what is most readily available in memory. - We remember and fear disasters more than ongoing, less dramatic threats.

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier--but also more error-prone--use of heuristics.

Heuristic

A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than an algorithm.

Insight

A sudden realization of a problem's solution, contrasts with strategy-based solutions.

Mental Set

A tendency to approach a problem in one particular wat that has been successful in the past.

Confirmation Bias

A tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.

Intuition

An effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning.

Belief Perseverance

Clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.

Availability Heuristic

Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common.

Representativeness Heuristic

Estimating the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information.

Fixation

In cognition, the inability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving.

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident than correct--to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgements.

Framing

The way an issue is posed; how an issue is worded can significantly affect decisions and judgements.