Chapter 8 Psychology 175.102

Visual representations such as the image of the street or a circle

Manipulating mental representations for a purpose

Representations that describe, explain or predict the way things work

Groupings based on common properties

A mental representation of a category

Qualities that are necessary in order to classify the object is a member of the category

Having properties that clearly set him apart from other concepts

An abstraction across many instances of a category

The broadest, most inclusive level at which objects share common attributes that are distinctive of the concept

The level of categorisation below the basic level in which more specific attributes are shared by members of a category.

An abstract level in which members of a category share few common features

The process by which people generate and evaluate arguments and beliefs, typically to try to solve problems

Reasoning from specific observations to more general propositions

Logical reasoning that draws a conclusion from a set of assumptions or premises that are based on the rules of logic

Consists of two premises that lead to a logical conclusion

The process by which people understand a novel situation in terms of a familiar one

The process of transforming one situation into another to meet a goal. eg. Initial unsatisfactory state to problem resolved (goal state)

Mini goals on the way to achieving the broader goal

Techniques that serves as guides for solving a problem

Systematic procedures that inevitably produce a solution to a problem

Imagining the steps involved in solving a problem mentally before actually undertaking them

The tendency for people to ignore other possible functions of an object when they have fixed function in mind

The tendency to keep using the same problem solving techniques that have worked in the past

The tendency for people to search for confirmation of what they already believe