Cognitive Psychology: Reasoning and Decision Making

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Questions and Answers

What is a key strength of the heuristic-analytic theory in cognitive research?

It accounts for individual differences in the use of analytical processes. (correct)

It is only applicable to conditional reasoning tasks.

It assumes that all individuals use logical reasoning in decision-making.

It provides a clear distinction between implicit and explicit processing.

According to the heuristic-analytic theory, what is the primary driving force behind the use of heuristic processing?

Lack of motivation to engage in effortful thinking.

The reliance on singular, relevant, and satisfying principles. (correct)

The need to make quick decisions in high-pressure situations.

The desire to avoid cognitive dissonance.

What is a limitation of the heuristic-analytic theory, according to some researchers?

It assumes that all individuals are rational decision-makers.

The distinction between heuristic and analytic processing is too neat. (correct)

It fails to account for individual differences in decision-making.

It is only applicable to laboratory tasks.

What is a key challenge in evaluating the rationality of human decision-making?

Defining what constitutes a 'rational' response. Signup and view all the answers

What do research findings suggest about the rationality of experts in their domain of expertise?

Experts display errors in reasoning, similar to non-experts. Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential issue with using laboratory tasks to study human decision-making?

The tasks may not be representative of real-world decision-making scenarios. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the heuristic-analytical theory in the context of reasoning and decision-making?

To distinguish between heuristic and analytical reasoning processes Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of conditional reasoning, as described by Mental Model Theory?

It is a type of reasoning that involves the construction of mental models of the situation Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the research on belief bias effects in the context of reasoning and decision-making?

To investigate how people's prior beliefs influence their reasoning processes Signup and view all the answers

According to the idea of 'thinking fast and slow', what is the primary difference between fast and slow thinking?

Fast thinking is more automatic and slow thinking is more controlled Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary implication of the Wason's selection task for our understanding of human rationality?

It suggests that humans are prone to cognitive biases and errors in their reasoning Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of research on rationality and decision-making in the context of cognitive psychology?

To understand the cognitive biases and errors that occur in human reasoning Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the monitoring system in the intuitive and deliberate systems?

To evaluate the output of heuristic processing and assess the feeling of rightness Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the process of accepting a mental model based on prior knowledge or context?

Satisficing Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the theory that proposes that people use mental models to make inferences?

Mental model theory Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the tendency to accept a belief based on how plausible or probable it seems, rather than on objective evidence?

Belief bias Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the psychologist who developed the fast and slow thinking framework?

Daniel Kahneman Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the process of detecting conflicts between intuitive and deliberate systems?

Early conflict detection Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Evidence of Reasoning Processes

Fast belief-based processing occurs at Time 1 and is not affected by time.
Slow belief-based processing occurs at Time 2, and predictions improve over time.
Fast rule-based processing is evident when there is discrimination between valid and invalid inferences at Time 1.
Slow rule-based processing is evident when discrimination improves at Time 2.

Heuristic-Analytic Theory

The theory has wide applicability within cognitive research.
It is based on three principles: singularity, relevance, and satisficing.
Singularity involves considering only a single mental model at a time.
Relevance involves considering the most relevant mental model based on prior knowledge or context.
Satisficing involves accepting the current mental model if it is deemed adequate.
The theory distinguishes between heuristic and analytical processes.
It accounts for individual differences in the extent to which people use analytic processes.

Limitations of Heuristic-Analytic Theory

The distinction between heuristic and analytic processing is overly neat.
Implicit/explicit and heuristic/analytic may represent two independent dimensions.
It is unclear how individuals decide which process to use.
The theory assumes logic is conscious.
It fails to explain how the heuristic and analytic processes interact.

Rationality

Rationality is not solely due to a lack of motivation.
Individual differences in ability can affect rationality.
Making rational responses easier is not always successful.
Experts can display errors in reasoning.
The peculiarities of laboratory tasks may bring out irrationality.
In everyday reasoning, validity is not always clearly defined.
The normative rationality standard may not be appropriate.

Conditional Reasoning

Mental Model Theory is used to explain conditional reasoning.
Wason's selection task is a classic example of conditional reasoning.
Belief bias effects can occur in conditional reasoning.
Syllogistic reasoning is a type of conditional reasoning.

Feeling of Rightness and Conflict Detection

The feeling of rightness is a measure of the output of intuitive and heuristic processing.
Participants are asked to rate their feeling of rightness before making a more deliberated response.
Low feeling of rightness is associated with longer analytic processing.
Responses are quicker when feeling of rightness is high.
Conflict detection occurs when there is a mismatch between intuitive and analytical processing.
Greater physiological arousal is associated with conflict detection.

Thinking 'Fast and Slow'

Fast thinking refers to rapid, intuitive inferences (System 1).
Slow thinking refers to slower, deliberate inferences (System 2).
The relationship between intuitive and deliberate systems is complex.
De Neys (2012) found that early conflict detection occurs below the conscious level.

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Description

Test your understanding of cognitive psychology concepts, including fast and slow belief-based processing, heuristic-analytic theory, and reasoning principles such as singularity, relevance, and satisficing. Assess your knowledge of human decision making and cognitive biases.