Exam 9: Thinking: Concept Formation,reasoning, and Problem Solving

In class today, Toni connected something learned in European history with something learned in American history. Which process of insightful thinking did she use?

Informal, intuitive, and often speculative shortcuts in thinking that may solve a problem but are not guaranteed to do so.

If an animal is a robin, then it is a bird. This animal is a robin. Is it a bird? Which kind of syllogism is this?

JoAnn is asked to subtract one number from another and to provide an answer. JoAnn has been asked to solve which of the following?

Students may come to believe that a subject is boring because they have studied it before and didn't find it interesting. This induction represents an error in thinking called

A property typical of something represented in a concept, but not always associated with it.

With this, it is not possible to have logical certainty, because there is always the chance that the next observation you make will disconfirm what all the previous observations have confirmed.

The most representative example of a given concept is referred to as a prototype.

Problems with clear paths to their solutions.

This thought pattern seems to be more common in girls than in boys.

Russell finds it easier to write his history paper if he first creates an outline. Russell is using which step in the problem- solving cycle?

The process of moving from a situation in need of resolution to a solution, overcoming any obstacles along the way.

Billy recognizes that he does not understand fractions, but he's not sure of exactly what it is that he does not understand ("some funny-looking numbers written one on top of another!"). Which step in the problem-solving cycle is he missing?

Reasoning from the general to the specific.

Teachers can help students fit a new concept into their schemas by drawing:

People relying on this shortcut in thinking make judgments on the basis of how easily they are able to call to mind what they perceive as relevant instances of a phenomenon.

The foundation for several other thinking skills.

A predisposition to think about a problem in a particular way.

A student who breaks down a problem, such as completing a complex term paper, into smaller problems or subgoals and works in turn on each is using which type of heuristic?

Provides students with natural opportunities to practice many important thinking skills. Students can work together to learn concepts.