PSYC 4030 Study Guide - Synectics, Functional Fixedness, Social Desirability Bias
Study Guide, Exam 2 - Thinking and Decision Making
Problem Solving Lecture
What are the components of the I DEAL problem solving framework?
I = IdenLfy the problem.
• D = Define and represent the problem.
• E = Explore possible strategies.
• A = Act on the strategies.
• L = Look back and evaluate results.
How does the two trains problem highlight the importance of problem representation?
What are "set effects" and how was this demonstrated in Luchin's (1942) water jug problem?
1 Problem solvers biased by their experience to prefer familiar strategies
2• Problem solvers are ignoring easier ways to solve problems in favor of more
familiar ones
3• Effect can be reduced with a warning - “Don’t be blind ‐
What is functional fixedness?
RepresenLng objects in terms of their typical use and not seeing novel uses
What are the components of the Synectics method (R. Mathews) of group problem solving?
Learn to be a Resource • Reaching a Decision
• Structure the Process
Cognition (Memorv & Thinking)
What are the 3 systems that make up L TM according to Tulving?
Episodic: specific events and experiences
Semantic: generic knowledge of world, facts
Procedural: how to perform an ac&on
What is the difference between availability and accessibility?
Available: Information in memory
Accessible: Can access information at particular point in &me
Distinguish between the major types of memory tests on the basis of the cues that are provided to
participants. What are the characteristics of STMlWorking memory? What components make up
Baddeley's model?
Limited capacity
– 7 plus or minus 2 “chunks” of information
• Information lost within 20-‐30 seconds if not rehearsed
• Generally corresponds to conscious awareness
Model
1. a phonological loop that processes acoustic/verbal information.
2. a visuospatial sketchpad that processes visual/spatial information.
3. a central executive that manages the use of information: a decision-‐ making component
4. an episodic buffer that storesmultidimensional information (integrated across modalities)
What are the implications of the Shiv & Fedorikhin (1999) study?
What are proactive and retroactive interference? How are these effects tested?
Proactive Interference - earlier learning interferes with later learning Retroactive Interference -
later learning interferes with earlier learning
What is reconsolidation and what are its implications for memory?
Researchers have long assumed that once a memory trace was in a “longer-‐term” state, it could
no longer be made unstable
In what way is remembering constructive? How is our memory different from a tape recorder?
– Retrieved information from prior experience
– Information in the retrieval environment
– Pre-‐existing knowledge or schemas
Video cameras
– Do not have emotions
– Do not need to pay a^en&on to record information
– Don’t form expectations about the information they are about to record
– Information is retrieved ‘word for word’
– Is not affected by the environment in which the information is retrieved
How do we make source monitoring judgments? What is a source monitoring error?
Judging the source of a memory is a decision process, not simply retrieving a “tag”
source monitoring error when a retrieved memory has characteristics that overlap with another
category
What is encoding specificity? What type of studies provides good evidence for this hypothesis?
A cue will be most effective if it was specifically encoded with the to-be-remembered
information
Describe the effect of changing context between encoding and retrieval.
Encoding is the process of taking in informtion and putting it into a storage format (code)
2. Retrieval is the process of bringing back information that has been stored in memory
a. A cue is a type of hint that helps you locate the target information in memory
What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory (direct and indirect tests)?
Implicit Memory (indirect test): Instructions are to complete a task, not specifically to retrieve
information from memory
– e.g., stem completion, free association, perceptual identification
• Explicit Memory (direct test): Instructions ask participants to retrieve information from
memory from a specific event
– e.g., Recognition, Cued and Free Recall
Distinguish between verbatim and gist memory.
Memory for gist = memory for the general meaning of what happened
• Verbatim memory = word for word, or memory for the specific details
• Generally, verbatim memory is lost quickly but gist memory is retained for a longer &me
What are schemas? How do schemas affect memory (see e.g., Brewer & Treyens, 1981)?
• General structured knowledge about objects, people or situations
• Not specific to an event, but made up of typical parts or features
• Used to form expectations or to make inferences
Some people falsely recalled schema-‐ consistent items that actually were not there, such as
books (on the bookshelves)
According to Stanovich, what are the fundamental computational biases of human cognition?
• Heuristic – rule of thumb that is correct most of the &me.
– Relatively automatic. Make decisions with reduced effort and increased speed.
– However, may be used in certain situations where it is inappropriate, leading to poor decisions.
Pious text & Decision-Making Lectures DM1 (Chps. 1-4)
What is the conclusion of the Hastorf & Cantril (1954; Princeton vs Dartmouth football game)
study? What is the hostile media effect?
•Hastorf and Cantril (1954) concluded that “It is inaccurate and misleading to say that different
people have different ‘attitudes’ concerning the same ‘thing.’ For the ‘thing’ simply is not the
same for different people...”
•Hostile media effect” – (Vallone, Lee & Lepper, 1985)
•– Asked about media bias during 1980 elections
•– 1/3 said biased. Of those participants, 90% said biased against own candidate.
•
Document Summary
Study guide, exam 2 - thinking and decision making. I = idenlfy the problem: d = define and represent the problem, e = explore possible strategies, a = act on the strategies, l = look back and evaluate results. 1 problem solvers biased by their experience to prefer familiar strategies. 2 problem solvers are ignoring easier ways to solve problems in favor of more familiar ones. 3 effect can be reduced with a warning - don"t be blind. Represenlng objects in terms of their typical use and not seeing novel uses. Learn to be a resource reaching a decision: structure the process. Accessible: can access information at particular point in &me. Distinguish between the major types of memory tests on the basis of the cues that are provided to participants. 7 plus or minus 2 chunks of information: information lost within 20- 30 seconds if not rehearsed, generally corresponds to conscious awareness.
