Phase II, Part V Definition/Concepts 1-8

Cognition: all of the mental processes involved in thinking, understanding, remembering, and communicating; everything involved in the way we consciously think (judge, decide, etc.) Example: Making a decision on what to buy at the grocery store...memorizing vocabulary words...all fall under the category of cognition.

Concept: a mental grouping of similar objects, events, idease, or people; a group we mentally create, placing associated or connected items/ideas/people together to stay mentally organized and to be able to generalize many specific and related objects into one category. Example: "Woman" is a concept, encompassing a number of individuals with different physical features, backgrounds, beliefs, etc.

Prototype: a mental image of a category; the best mental picture a person has to describe a concept. The better something matches our prototype, the more quickly we identify it with a category. Example: Going to the beach for some people may be a prototype for the concept of vacation, rather than something else like camping (because more people often associate the beach with vacation).

Algorithm: a step by step procedure that guarantees a solution; a methodical system that promises a result. Example: Finding a needle in a haystack by examining every piece of hay.

Heuristics: a simple strategy that uses logic, but is also error-prone. Example: Figuring out approximately where the needle was dropped in the hay and then searching that area.

Insight: flashes of inspiration; an "aha" moment, a sudden comprehension that brings satisfaction. Example: Suddenly realizing how to solve a difficult math problem.

Confirmation bias: looking for evidence that confirms our beliefs. Example: Remembering bizarre events that transpired during a full moon, especially over bizarre events that happened on other days.

Fixation: the inability to look at a problem from a different point of view. Example: hearing a riddle and thinking it's impossible because you can't see another way to look at it/you can't think outside the box.