Thinking

Thinking

problem solving - decision making - creativity

• Mental groupings of similar objects, ideas, events, or people

• Simplify our thinking

• We often form our concepts by developing prototypes

Concepts

• ​Mental image or best example of a category

• We categorize (including people!) based on our prototypes

​​Prototypes

Poll

What is the prototype of "vegetable"?

• Raddish

• Onion

• Carrot

• Potato

Poll

What is the prototype of "bird"?

• Robin

• Owl

• Parrot

• Penguin

Poll

What is the prototype of "tool"?

• Crowbar

• Drill

• Chisel

• Screwdriver

Poll

What is the prototype of "furniture"?

• Chair

• Sofa

• Refrigerator

• Cupboard

Poll

What is the prototype of "clothing"?

• Shoe

• Necktie

• Pajamas

• T-shirt

Open Ended

​If you answered:

Carrot, Robin, Screwdriver, Chair, and T-Shirt

Your answers matched the "usual suspects" for each category's prototype. Choose one prototype category and explain why you think your answer either matched or did not match the prototype. What made your answer the "prototype" for you?

​Prototype

Mismatch

When symptoms do not match the prototype for a disease (like sharp pains for a heart attack), we often delay or do not seek treatment.

Danger!

​Prototype

Mismatch

When behaviors do not fit our discrimination prototypes - White against - Black, male against female, young against old - we often fail to notice prejudice. It is easier to see typical prejudices.

Danger!

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Cognition focuses on all of these mental activities except ​

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: ​ ​ ​ ​

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eating

thinking

knowing

remembering

communicating information

Dropdown

One cognitive activity is the forming of ​

Select answer

which are mental groupings of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

Multiple Select

Two dangers associated with prototypes are:

• People do not accurately identify medical conditions or emergencies.

• People solve problems more slowly than they would without prototypes.

• People spend too much time sorting items into categories.

• People fail to notice prejudice that does not meet their prototype.

Multiple Choice

Prototypes are:

• Maps of neurological topographies

• Written therapy that requires positive observations

• The standard mental image or the best-fit example of a category

• A form of typewriter used by professional athletes

Anything that makes the information pop into the mind - vividness, recency, distintiveness...

​What's Available

Over- or Under-confidence

​​How Information is Presented

Biased Thinking might be based on...

An incorrect estimation of our abilities...

A favorable or unfavorable setting or language can predispose our attitudes for or against an issue.

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The availability heuristic may lead us to ​

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the ​

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things.

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fear

wrong

Match

Match the following

• algorithms

• heuristics

• insight

• prototype

• concept

step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution

simple thinking strategy for problem solving-more efficient but also more error-prone

sudden realization of a solution (not a strategy-based solution)

best fit example of category

mental grouping of similar objects

• step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution

• simple thinking strategy for problem solving-more efficient but also more error-prone

• sudden realization of a solution (not a strategy-based solution)

• best fit example of category

• mental grouping of similar objects

Match

Match the following

• Confirmation bias

• Fixation

• Representative-ness Heuristic

• Availability Heuristic

• Mental Set

Tendency to search for info that supports preconceptions; ignore/distort contradictory evidence

In thinking, the ability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving

Estimating the likelihood of events by how well they match particular prototypes

Estimating the likelihood of events based on their mental availability, presuming them more common

tendency to approach a problem in a particular way, often what has worked in the past

• Tendency to search for info that supports preconceptions; ignore/distort contradictory evidence

• In thinking, the ability to see a problem from a new perspective; an obstacle to problem solving

• Estimating the likelihood of events by how well they match particular prototypes

• Estimating the likelihood of events based on their mental availability, presuming them more common

• tendency to approach a problem in a particular way, often what has worked in the past

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​

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is an example of ​

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. Often times what has worked for us in the past will work on new problems.

Just as a ​

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predisposes what we ​ perceive, a ​

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predisposes how we ​

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.

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Mental set

fixation

perceptual set

mental set

think

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According to social psychologist Irving Janis, policy makers in government, business, and education "often do not use a reflective problem-solving approach. How do they usually arrive at decisions? If you ask, they are likely to tell you...they do it mostly by ​

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."

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the seat of their pants

calculated probabilities

blind luck

always turning in the same direction

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​

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enable quick thinking without conscious awareness.

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Heuristics

Fixations

Representations

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According to cognitive psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, heuristics (intuitive mental shortcuts) can lead even the ​

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people into ​

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decisions. Kahneman's and Tversky's joint research on decision making won the Nobel Prize in 2002. Only ​

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​ , author of Thinking Fast and Slow, was alive to be awarded the prize.

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smartest

dumb

Kahneman

Match

Match the following

• Confirmation bias

• Hindsight bias

• Self-serving bias

• Mental Harmony puzzle

• Contradictory information

Confirms our initial, pre-existing beliefs

Confirms our memory of past realities

Enhances our self-esteem

Preserved by biases

Corrects for our biases

• Confirms our initial, pre-existing beliefs

• Confirms our memory of past realities

• Enhances our self-esteem

• Preserved by biases

• Corrects for our biases

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How can we actively reduce our biases?

1. Fight our ​

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2. Jump to the ​

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3. Define our ​

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first impressions

other side

inner focus

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Our Mental Harmony Puzzle is held together by belief perseverance, our tendency to cling to beliefs in the face of contrary evidence.

The remedy for belief perseverance is ​

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.

Asking people ​

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had no effect on bias.

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to consider the opposite to be true

to try to be as objective and unbiased as possible

"Our two-track mind

makes sweet harmony as

smart, critical thinking

listens to the creative whispers of

our vast unseen mind,

then

evaluates evidence,

tests conclusions,

and plans for the future." Myers Module 26, p. 339

With the right frame of mind,

Intuition can be powerful.

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​

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is what we use on aptitude tests.

It is our ability to provide a single, correct answer.

​

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is what we use on creativity tests (like how many uses can you think of for a brick).

It is our ability to consider many different options and to think in novel ways.

Injury to certain areas of the ​

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can leave reading, writing, and arithmetic skills intact but destroy imagination. (p. 339).

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Convergent Thinking

Divergent Thinking

frontal lobes

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According to Robert Sternberg (p. 340), the five components of creativity are:

1. ​

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2. ​

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Thinking Skills, 3. A ​

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Personality, 4. ​

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Motivation, and 5. A Creative​

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Expertise

Imaginitive

Ventursome

Intrinsic

Environment

Allow Time for Incubation

Set Aside Time for the Mind to wander Freely

Experience other Cultures and Ways of Thinking

To boost your creativity, research suggests:

Develop Your Expertise

Match

Match the following processes or strategies with their descriptions:

• Algorithm

• Heuristic

• Insight

• Fixation

• Intuition

Methodical rule or procedure

Simple thinking shortcut

Sudden Aha!

Inability to view problems from a new angle

Fast, automatic feelings and thoughts

• Methodical rule or procedure

• Simple thinking shortcut

• Sudden Aha!

• Inability to view problems from a new angle

• Fast, automatic feelings and thoughts

Match

Match the following processes or strategies with their descriptions:

• Confirmation Bias

• Overconfidence

• Belief Perseverence

• Framing

• Creativity

Tendency to search for support for our own views and ignore contradictory evidence

Overestimating the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments

Ignoring evidence that proves our beliefs are wrong

Wording a question or statement so that it evokes a desired response

Ability to innovate valuable ideas

• Tendency to search for support for our own views and ignore contradictory evidence

• Overestimating the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments

• Ignoring evidence that proves our beliefs are wrong

• Wording a question or statement so that it evokes a desired response

• Ability to innovate valuable ideas

Match

Match the following processes or strategies to their powers

• Algorithm

• Heuristic

• Insight

• Intuition

• Creativity

Guarantees solution

Lets us act quickly and efficiently

Provides instant realization of solution

Is based on our experience; huge and adaptive

Produces new insights and products

• Guarantees solution

• Lets us act quickly and efficiently

• Provides instant realization of solution

• Is based on our experience; huge and adaptive

• Produces new insights and products

Match

Match the following processes and strategies to their powers:

• Confirmation Bias

• Fixation

• Overconfidence

• Belief Perseverance

• Framing

Lets us quickly recognize supporting evidence

Focuses thinking

Allows us to be happy and to make decisions easily

Supports our enduring beliefs

Can influence others' decisions

• Lets us quickly recognize supporting evidence

• Focuses thinking

• Allows us to be happy and to make decisions easily

• Supports our enduring beliefs

• Can influence others' decisions

Match

Match the following processes and strategies to their perils:

• Algorithm

• Heuristic

• Insight

• Intution

• Creativity

Requires time and effort

Puts us at greater risk for errors

May not happen

Can lead us to overfeel and underthink

May distract from structured, routine work

• Requires time and effort

• Puts us at greater risk for errors

• May not happen

• Can lead us to overfeel and underthink

• May distract from structured, routine work

Match

Match the following processes and strategies to their perils:

• Confirmation Bias

• Fixation

• Overconfidence

• Belief Perseverance

• Framing

Hinders recognition of contradictory evidence

Hinders creative problem solving

Puts us at risk for errors

Closes our mind to new ideas

Can produce a misleading result

• Hinders recognition of contradictory evidence

• Hinders creative problem solving

• Puts us at risk for errors

• Closes our mind to new ideas

• Can produce a misleading result