Higher Cognitive Functions

 
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Higher Cognitive Functions

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Concepts & Categorization

Mental groupings or labels used to organize knowledge and simplify the world (e.g., classifying a chair). Categorization is the process of assigning new items to these existing concepts.
  • Categorization: The process of grouping objects, events, or ideas into classes based on shared features or properties
  • Prototype Theory: A theory proposing that categories are organized around typical or best examples (prototypes) of the category
  • Exemplar Theory: A theory suggesting that categories are represented by stored examples of individual category members
  • Semantic Network: A model of memory organization in which concepts are represented as nodes connected by meaningful relationships
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Reasoning & Judgment

Reasoning is the process of drawing logical conclusions from evidence or premises. Judgment is the ability to evaluate a situation and form an opinion or belief.
  • Deductive Reasoning: A logical process in which conclusions necessarily follow from given premises, moving from general to specific
  • Inductive Reasoning: A logical process in which conclusions are drawn from specific observations to general principles
  • Heuristic: Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision making and problem solving
  • Availability Heuristic: A mental shortcut that estimates the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind
  • Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information in a way that confirms preexisting beliefs
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Problem Solving

The mental process of moving from a current state (the problem) to a desired goal state when the path is not immediately obvious, often involving structured steps.
  • Algorithm: A step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution to a problem if followed correctly
  • Insight: A sudden realization of a solution to a problem without conscious awareness of the reasoning process
  • Functional Fixedness: A cognitive bias that limits problem solving by causing people to see objects only in their traditional functions
  • Mental Model: An internal representation of how something works in the external world
  • Problem Space: The set of all possible states and operations available for solving a particular problem
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Decision Making

The process of selecting a single course of action from several alternatives, often involving assessing probabilities and weighing potential outcomes and risks.
  • Prospect Theory: A theory describing how people make decisions involving risk and uncertainty, showing systematic deviations from rational choice
  • Framing Effect: The phenomenon in which different presentations of the same information lead to different decisions
  • Loss Aversion: The tendency for people to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains