LearningCurve: 9a. Thinking
If someone estimates the likelihood of events based on the ease with which they retrieve them from memory, they presume such events are common. This is called:
the availability heuristic.
When Sally couldn't find the artichokes at the supermarket, she walked up and down every aisle looking for them. She was using a problem-solving tool known as an _____.
algorithm
People have a tendency to search for information that supports their preconceptions. This is known as:
confirmation bias.
Kendall is taking an intelligence test, which will measure her ability for _____ thinking.
convergent
University students who focus on the interest and challenge of their schoolwork, rather than on simply meeting deadlines and securing good grades, are especially likely to demonstrate _____.
creativity
Tiffany just got a job as a sales representative. After a few months on the job, she notices that potential clients respond better when she tells them that the product is successful 99 percent of the time than when she says that the error rate is 1 percent. This is an example of:
framing.
Pia is a young engineer who has just started work at a company that has several seasoned engineers on staff. During a regular meeting, they are discussing how to solve a problem. After about 15 minutes of listening to them, Pia proudly announces, "I've got it!" This is an example of _____.
insight
The garage where Jack works has specific step-by-step procedures, or _____, for repairing car engines.
algorithms
The garage where Quinn works has specific step-by-step procedures, or _____, for repairing car engines.
algorithms
Those who demonstrate increased levels of quantitative _____ as 13-year-olds are more likely to earn graduate degrees in math or science and to create published or patented work as adults.
aptitude
A few days before flying to San Francisco, Raul watched a documentary about the 1906 earthquake that devastated the city. Even though the chance of getting caught in an earthquake while in San Francisco was relatively minor, Raul decided to cancel his trip. This best illustrates the _____.
availability heuristic
Rumi is about to graduate with a B.A. in psychology and is planning to attend graduate school. Her primary interests are in memory storage, problem solving, and communication. She is MOST interested in _____.
cognition
Shawna is about to graduate with a B.A. in psychology and is planning to attend graduate school. Her primary interests are in memory storage, problem solving, and communication. She is MOST interested in:
cognition
The mental process of forming concepts is an example of _____.
cognition
Professor Musgrave's research identifies circumstances in a person's bias that are especially likely to impede effective problem solving. Her research is most likely in the area of _____ psychology.
cognitive
David tends to study the same way for every course, no matter the subject. So far, he has been successful. This is an example of a(n) _____.
mental set
Immediate and easy-to-understand feedback regarding a student's performance on a physics practice test is MOST likely to inhibit:
overconfidence.
Matching new items to a(n) _____ provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into existing mental categories
prototype
People more quickly recognize that a blue jay is a bird than they recognize a penguin is a bird because a blue jay more closely resembles their _____ of a bird.
prototype
