CHS AP Psychology Unit 7 Part II: Cognition Essential Task 7.1 : Define cognition and identify how the following interact to form our cognitive life: schemata/concepts, prototypes, assimilation, accommodation, effortful processing, and
Jan 19, 2016
CHS AP Psychology
Unit 7 Part II: Cognition
Essential Task 7.1: Define cognition and identify how the following interact to form our cognitive life: schemata/concepts, prototypes, assimilation, accommodation, effortful processing, and unconscious processing.
Cognition Definition
Cognition, or thinking, refers to a process that involves:
1.Knowing2.Understanding3.Remembering4.Problem solving5.Communicating.
Purposeful!
Cognitive Psychology
Cognition involves a number of mental activities, which are listed below: 1. Concepts
2. Problem solving3. Decision making4. Judgment formation5. Language6. Memory
Remember Schema? What prior knowledge lets us know what a CHAIR is?
• Furniture• Seat• Four Legs• Back• Arms• Sits one person• Cushioned• Made of wood
Schema or Concept
The mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people. There are a variety of
chairs but their common features make up your CHAIR schema
Schemata can get fuzzy
• Is a whale a mammal?
• Are penguins and kiwis birds?
• Are 17 year old people children or adults?
Can I read your mind?Get out a half sheet of paper to find out!1. State a color.2. Name or draw a triangle.3. List the first type of motor vehicle that comes to
mind.4. Write a sentence5. Give me a hero.6. Describe a heroic act7. Game8. Philosopher9. Writer10. Pop Star
I gave schemata and tried to predict prototypes.1. red or blue2. a picture of an equilateral triangle3. a car4. a short declarative statement, e.g., “The boy is
home.”5. Superman, Batman, or possibly a fireman6. a single act by a male, e.g. a rescue by a fireman7. monopoly or some other board game8. Socrates or Aristotle9. Nicolas Sparks, or some other white male
author10. Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga
Prototypes
A prototype is the BEST example or cognitive representation of something within a certain schema or concept.
SchemaList characteristics that make a place a college or university.
PrototypeNow list a specific college that BEST represents or embodies those characteristics.
The way we THINK leads us to…
• Determine how we solve problems
Essential Task 7.2: • Problem Solving Steps• Identify problem-solving techniques:
– algorithms – heuristics
• Factors that influence their effectiveness – problem representation– mental set– functional fixedness– motivation– confirmation bias
4 Problem Solving Steps
1. Define the Problem2. Use that definition to decide what
category a problem belongs to and then based on that
3. Select a solution strategy that would solve a problem in that category
4. Evaluate progress toward goal
Possible Solution Strategies
• Trial and error– Works best with limited number of choices
• Information retrieval– Retrieve from memory information about how such a problem has
been solved in the past• Algorithms
– Step-by-step methods that guarantees a solution– Methodical, logical rules or procedures that guarantee solving a
particular problem.– Math problems are an example of the type best solved using an
algorithm• Heuristics
– Rules of thumb that may help simplify a problem, but do not guarantee a solution.
– They are quicker than algorithms
Algorithms
Algorithms, which are very time consuming, exhaust all possibilities before arriving at a
solution. Computers use algorithms.
S P L O Y O C H Y G
If we were to unscramble these letters to form a word using an algorithmic approach, we would face
907,208 possibilities.
Heuristics
• In psychology, heuristics are simple, efficient rules, learned from experience
• people use to – make decisions – come to judgments – solve problems typically when facing
complex problems or incomplete information.
Heuristics
Heuristics make it easier for us to use simple principles to arrive at solutions to problems.
S P L O Y O C H Y GS P L O Y O C H G YP S L O Y O C H G YP S Y C H O L O G Y
Heuristic at work: Y’s usually go at the end of a word.
Heuristics
• A quick way to arrive at a solution, but it also is more error-prone.– It’s sometimes referred to as “jumping to
conclusions.”
• How can “jumping to conclusions” be a problem?
Obstacles to Solving Problems• Confirmation Bias
– Search for things that fit our own prejudice and ignore facts
• Motivation– Desire to solve a problem
• Mental sets– Tendency to perceive and approach problems
in certain ways• Functional fixedness
– Tendency to see only a limited number of uses for an object
Confirmation Bias
• While we make a decision, we actively look for information that confirms our ideas
Motivation• If you don’t attempt to solve a problem
you won’t.
Mental Set
• “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
Functional Fixedness
• “I can only use it for this one thing!”