Chapter 9: Thinking

What is exaggerated fear?

Exaggerated fear is the opposite of having overconfidence; it is the tendency to fear excessively about what may happen.

What is fixation?

Fixation is the inability to see a problem from a new perspective. It is an impediment to problem solving.

What is framing?

Framing refers to the way an issue is posed or presented. How an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

How can heuristics help us solve problems?

Heuristics make it easier for us to use simple principles to arrive at solutions to problems.

Example of representativeness heuristic

If you meet a slim, short, man who wears glasses and likes poetry, what do you think his profession would be, Ivy League professor or a truck driver?

What is insight?

Insight is a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem. Insight contrasts with strategy-based solutions (such as algorithms).

What is a concept?

A concept is a mental grouping of similar objects, events, or people.

What is confirmation bias?

A confirmation bias is a tendency to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions.

What is a functional fixation?

A functional fixation is a tendency to perceive the functions of objects as fixed and unchanging.

What is a heuristic?

A heuristic is a rule-of-thumb strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently. Usually speedier but more error-prone than algorithms.

What is a mental set?

A mental set is a tendency to approach in a particular way.

What is a prototype?

A prototype is the best example of a category.

What is an algorithm?

An algotrithm is the methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solcing a particular problem. This is in contrast to the quicker but more error-prone use of heuristics.

What is belief preserverance?

Belief preserverance is clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.

What is cognition?

Cognition is the mental activity associated with processing, understanding, and communicating information

What is cognitive psychology?

Cognitive psychology is the study of mental activities, such as concept formation, problem solving, and decision making. It is the study of both logical and illogical thinking.

What is overconfidence?

Overconfidence is the tendency to be more tconfident than correct. It is also the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of one's beliefs and judgements.

What is the availability heuristic?

The availability heuristic is estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory. If something comes readily to mind, we presume such events are common. Example: plane crashes, shark attacks

What is the representativeness heuristic?

The representativeness heuristic is a rule of thumb for judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes. Drawback: it may lead one to ignore other relevant information.