Insight, Fixation, & Problem Solving
Problems that lead to sudden “Aha!” moments rely heavily on this type of problem-solving process.
What is insight?
Using a past problem to solve a new one relies on this core cognitive process.
What is analogical reasoning (or analogical problem solving)?
This type of reasoning involves drawing general conclusions based on specific pieces of evidence.
What is inductive reasoning?
Preferring information that supports your own viewpoint reflects this common cognitive bias.
What is myside bias (a form of confirmation bias)?
A reasoning schema that helps people interpret “if–then” rules, such as permissions or obligations.
What is the permission schema?
This phenomenon can make a familiar object harder to use in a new way during problem solving.
What is functional fixedness?
In analogical problem solving, this step involves identifying the parallels between two situations.
What is mapping?
Reasoning in which the conclusion logically follows from premises, even if the content feels counterintuitive.
What is deductive reasoning?
This judgment error occurs when people rely too heavily on a vivid example rather than the actual likelihood of an event.
What is the availability heuristic?
When a conclusion that “sounds true” interferes with logical evaluation, people fall prey to this issue in reasoning.
What is belief bias?
A step in problem solving that moves the solver closer to the goal state, often used in means-end analysis.
What is a subgoal?
Experts tend to organize information based on these deeper structural principles, rather than surface features.
What are underlying principles or structural features?
When people judge an argument as valid simply because the conclusion seems believable, this bias occurs.
What is belief bias?
A preference to choose the safer option, often used when dealing with potential gains.
What is risk aversion?
Drawing conclusions about what is likely based on partial evidence reflects this form of reasoning.
What is inductive reasoning?
When prior experience with a certain solution makes it harder to see alternative solutions, this cognitive barrier occurs.
What is a mental set?
Thinking that generates a wide variety of potential solutions, often linked to creativity.
What is divergent thinking?
These syllogisms use categories such as “All A are B” to determine if a conclusion logically follows.
What are categorical syllogisms?
When a person becomes more convinced of their belief after receiving contradictory evidence, this effect occurs.
What is the backfire effect?
A common mistake in probability judgments occurs when people overestimate how strongly two unrelated events are connected.
What is an illusory correlation?
Research comparing “warmth ratings” across different types of problems demonstrated that insight problems feel different from this class of more systematic problems.
What are noninsight (analytic) problems?
Although expertise helps with efficiency, it can also reduce this ability when old knowledge limits flexible new thinking.
What is creativity (or cognitive flexibility)?
Ignoring the statistical fact that large samples produce more stable outcomes leads to errors driven by this mistaken reliance.
What is the representativeness heuristic?
People’s emotions and decisions can change dramatically depending on how information is presented, due to this key decision-making principle.
What is the framing effect?
A default choice where people must actively decline participation (such as unsubscribing) is an example of this choice architecture strategy.
What is opt-out framing?