Chapter 9. Cognition
Chapter Resources
Dinesh Ramoo
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- Categories are sets of equivalent objects, but they are not always well-defined.
- The mental representations of categories are called concepts. Concepts allow us to behave intelligently in new situations. They involve prototypes and exemplars.
- Some category members are seen as prototypical.
- Many categories fall into hierarchies. Basic categories are more likely to be used.
- We build on existing knowledge when learning new concepts.
- Schemas are organised knowledge structures.
- We use a variety of shortcuts in our information processing, such as the representativeness, availability, and anchoring and adjustment heuristics. These help us to make fast judgments but may lead to errors.
- Algorithms are problem-solving strategies that are based on rules rather than guesses. Algorithms, if applied correctly, are far less likely to result in errors or incorrect solutions than heuristics.
- Algorithms are based on logic.
- A variety of cognitive biases influence the accuracy of our judgments.
- Overcoming cognitive bias may take awareness of their existence and active work.
- Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is an inconsistency between two cognitions or between cognition and behaviour. People are motivated to reduce cognitive dissonance.
Exercises and Critical Thinking
- Pick a couple of familiar categories, and try to come up with definitions for them. When you evaluate each proposal, consider whether it is, in fact, accurate as a definition and if it is a definition that people might actually use in identifying category members.
- For the same categories, can you identify members that seem to be “better” and “worse” members? What about these items makes them typical and atypical?
- Look around the room. Point to some common objects, including things people are wearing or brought with them, and identify what the basic-level category is for that item. What are superordinate and subordinate categories for the same items?
- Draw an image that represents your schema for doing laundry. Then, do the same thing for studying for a final exam. What have you included in your studying schema?
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Chapter Attribution
“Cognition” by Dinesh Ramoo is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. It was adapted from the “Chapter 8. Cognition” chapter in Psychology – 1st Canadian Edition by Sally Walters, which is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
About the Author: Dinesh Ramoo
College of New Caledonia
I am a heterosexual, cisgendered male who is a first generation immigrant in Canada. I was born in Sri Lanka into a South Indian immigrant family and lived in the UK where I completed my higher education. My research has focused on communities that have traditionally been overlooked within the field of cognitive psychology. I have worked with Hindi stroke patients with aphasia in India as well as with minority communities in Canada, UK, Sri Lanka and Turkey. I have explored Indigenous knowledge for treating neurological disorders and have worked with Indigenous communities to increase awareness about dementia. This work has involved travelling to Indigenous communities in Northern BC and talking with Elders and community leaders. I was born into a Hindu family and am now an atheist.
