Thinking

Thinking

Objectives:

  1. Describe the nature of concepts and the role of prototypes in concept formation.

  2. Discuss how we use trial and error, algorithms, heuristics and insight to solve problems.

  3. Describe how confirmation bias and fixation can interfere with effective problem solving.

  4. Explain how representativeness and availability heuristics influence our judgments.

  5. Describe the effects of overconfidence and framing can have on our decisions.

  6. Discuss how beliefs distort logical reasoning and describe the belief perseverance phenomenon.

  7. Describe artificial intelligence and contrast the human mind to the computer.

Vocabulary: concepts, prototypes, algorithm, heuristics, insight, confirmation bias, fixation, mental set, functional fixedness, representativeness heuristic, availability heuristic, overconfidence, framing, belief perseverance, artificial intelligence, computer neural networks.