Thinking, Problem-Solving, Judgments, and Decision-Making

What this topic is about

The review connects thinking to concepts, problem-solving, judgment, and choice. Tim describes tools that can make a problem easier to solve, as well as mental shortcuts and biases that can lead us away from careful reasoning. The review also introduces executive function as managing thoughts and actions toward goals, and contrasts divergent with convergent thinking.

Key ideas

• Concepts, prototypes, and schemas help organize information and guide how new examples are understood.
• Algorithms are step-by-step procedures that can guarantee a solution; heuristics are quicker rules of thumb.
• Availability and representativeness are heuristics used to judge likelihood.
• Confirmation bias, mental set, functional fixedness, and overconfidence can interfere with problem-solving.
• The transcript also discusses gambler's fallacy and sunk-cost reasoning in decisions.