Thinking and Reasoning in Cognition

Thinking, Reasoning, and Cognitive Economy

• Thinking/Cognition involves mental processing of information, including learning, remembering, perceiving, and deciding.
• Reasoning is logical thought about something.
• Cognitive Economy describes how the brain minimizes effort by using shortcuts.
• Heuristics are mental shortcuts for solving problems or making decisions.
• The bat and ball problem demonstrates substituting complex problems with simpler versions.
• Errors can arise from intuitive responses conflicting with logic.
• The Tremolière & De Neys (2014) and Room with a Cue Study demonstrate influence of context and intuitive reasoning.
• Two modes of thinking were described: System 1 (intuitive, quick, effortless) and System 2 (analytical, slow, effortful).
• Representativeness heuristic involves judging probability based on similarity to a prototype.
• Availability heuristic estimates likelihood based on how easily examples come to mind.
• Hindsight bias is overestimating the ability to predict outcomes after they occur.

Thinking at Its Hardest: Decision Making and Problem Solving

• Decision making is choosing between alternatives, influenced by cognitive economy.
• The study by Timothy Wilson et al. (1993) indicated students trusting their gut were happier with decisions than those analyzing pros and cons.
• Analysis paralysis is overthinking leading to decision delays.
• The Simonson & Tversky (1992) camera study demonstrates the compromise effect.
• Framing describes how presenting information affects decisions (e.g., survival vs. mortality rates).
• Problem-solving involves strategies (algorithms, subgoals) and techniques (analogical approaches).
• Obstacles to problem solving include mental sets and functional fixedness

How Does Language Work?

• Language involves rule-based symbols for communication (onomatopoeia, sound symbolism are exceptions).
• Language functions include information exchange, social interaction, and emotional expression.
• Language shapes thoughts, as demonstrated in the Winawer et al. (2007) study.
• Linguistic relativity shows that language influences but does not entirely determine thoughts.
• Features of language include phonemes (smallest sound units), morphemes (smallest meaning units), syntax (grammar rules), and extralinguistic information (nonverbal cues).
• The Stroop effect highlights the difficulty in separating word meaning from ink color.

How Do Children Learn Language(s)?

• Key milestones in language development include recognizing native language sounds at 5 months, babbling, phoneme recognition, and word learning.
• Word learning involves understanding and using first words around one year old, often with errors like overextension and underextension.
• Children progress through one-word stage to two-word stage and develop understanding of syntax.
• Special cases like sign language and bilingualism are also relevant to language acquisition.
• The critical period vs sensitive period debate in language acquisition is presented along with several studies and theories about innate or learned abilities.
• Theories of language acquisition include imitation, nativist (Chomsky's LAD), social pragmatics, and general cognitive processing.

This quiz explores concepts related to thinking, reasoning, and cognitive economy. It covers heuristics, the bat and ball problem, and two modes of thinking: System 1 and System 2. Additionally, it discusses the impact of context on decision-making and common cognitive biases.