Algorithm -systemic, mechanical approaches that guarantee an eventual answer to a problem
Heuristic -intuitive rules of thumb -short cuts in problem solving
Insight -sudden appearance of an answer or solution to a problem
Prototype -a model-“best example” of a particular thing
Fixation - Inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective
Mental Set -Tendency to approach a problem with the mindset of what has worked previously
Functional Fixedness
- trapped in seeing one particular prescribed use for some object
ex. Looking for a screwdriver when a dime would turn the screw
Confirmation Bias -the search for information that supports a particular view-hinders problem solving by distorting objectivity
Representative Heuristic
-judge objects and events in terms of how closely they match the prototype of that object of event
-ex: high school athletes are less intelligent
Availability Heuristic
- judged by what events come readily to mind
Overconfidence Bias
-the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments
Framing -the way a question is phrasedBelief Perseverance
-a person only sees the evidence that supports a particular position despite evidence presented to the contrary (Stubbornness)
Belief Bias -the tendency for our preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning, making illogical conclusions seem valid or logical conclusions to seem invalid
Phoneme -smallest unit of speech sounds in a given language that are still distinct in sound from each other
-ex: “ch”
Morpheme -phonemes combines to create these, the smallest semantically meaningful parts of language
-ex: review consists of 2 morphemes
Grammar -a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others
Semantics -a set of rules we use to derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences
Syntax -set of rules used for appropriate word orderStages of Language Acquisition
-infants make cooing noises (utterance of phonemes)-babbling (phonemes within infants’ home language)- “holophrases” (one word stage)- two word stage and telegraphic speech
Holophrastic Speech
-single terms that are applied by the infants to broad categories of things
Telegraphic Speech
-two or three word groups -sounds like a telegram
ex. want juice
Critical period -proposes a window of time during which a child is especially ready to learn language and which further suggests that if that opportunity is missed that it might be too late to catch up -intertwined with nature/nurture themes -refers to a time during which a skill or ability must develop
Chomsky vs. Skinner
-Chomsky: Nativist perspective, idea that human brain has an innate capacity for acquiring language (language acquisition device) possibly during a critical period of time after birth; born with universal sense of grammar; “pre wired” for language-Skinner: nurture view, language learned through a shaping process, reinforcement, and imitation
Whorf’s Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis
-speakers of diff languages develop diff cognitive systems as a result of differences in language -language guides and determines thinking; language influences thought-language determines and limits experiences
-ex: people of Burma have many words for rice b/c it’s critical to way of life, it involves more categorization and complexity
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