Invitation to Psychology

232 Chapter 7 Thinking and Intelligence

ball. How much does the ball cost? Most people

answer with fast thinking and say 10 cents. But

the correct answer is 5 cents. Think (slowly)

about it.

Watch the Video In the Real World: Changing

Your Mind at MyPsychLab

decisions; “slow” thinking requires intellectual

effort. Naturally, most people rely on fast think-

ing because it saves time and effort, but it

is often wrong. Here is one of his examples:

Suppose that a bat and ball together cost $1.10

and that the bat costs one dollar more than the

Recite & Review

Recite: Mindfully, say out loud what you know about concepts, prototypes, propositions, cogni-

tive schemas, mental images, subconscious and nonconscious processes, multitasking, implicit

learning, mindlessness, algorithms and heuristics, and insight and intuition.

Review: Next, consciously as well as conscientiously reread this section.

Now take this Quick Quiz:

1. Which concept is most basic: furniture, chair, or high chair?


2. Which example of the concept chair is prototypical: high chair, rocking chair, or dining room
   chair?


3. What finding in the previous section supports the theory that language affects perception and
   cognition?


4. Peter’s mental representation of Thanksgiving includes associations (e.g., to turkeys), attitudes
   (“It’s a time to be with relatives”), and expectations (“I’m going to gain weight from all that
   food”). They are all part of his __ for the holiday.


5. Mina goes to phone her mother and discovers that she has called her boyfriend’s number
   instead. Her error can be attributed to __.


6. When you solve a long-division problem, which are you using, an algorithm or a heuristic?
   Answers:

Study and Review at MyPsychLab

The linguistic gender of a word can 3. A plain, straight-backed dining room chair will be prototypical for most people.2. chair1.

an algorithm 6. mindlessness5. cognitive schema4. affect people’s descriptions of the concept it represents.

to  mindful, conscious thought and the capacity

to reason.

Reasoning is purposeful mental activity that

involves operating on information to reach a con-

clusion. Unlike impulsive (“fast”) or nonconscious

responding, reasoning requires us to draw specific

inferences from observations, facts, or assump-

tions. In formal reasoning problems—the kind you

might find, say, on an intelligence test or a college

entrance exam—the information needed for draw-

ing a conclusion or reaching a solution is specified

clearly, and there is a single right (or best) answer.

In informal reasoning problems, there is often

no clearly correct solution. Many approaches,

viewpoints, or possible solutions may compete,

and you may have to decide which one is most

“reasonable.”

To do this wisely, a person must be able to

use dialectical reasoning, the process of comparing

and evaluating opposing points of view to resolve

differences. Philosopher Richard Paul (1984) once

reasoning The drawing
of conclusions or infer-
ences from observations,
facts, or assumptions.

dialectical reason-
ing A process in which
opposing facts or ideas
are weighed and com-
pared, with a view to
determining the best
solution or resolving
differences.

You are about to learn...

•    the importance of dialectical reasoning in

solving real-life problems.

•    how cognitive development affects how people

reason about complex issues.

reasoning rationally

LO 7.4

Multitasking, mindlessness, and operating on

automatic pilot have their place; life would be

impossible if we had to think carefully and

consciously about every little thing we do, say,

decide, or hear. But automatic processes and

unconscious impressions can also lead to errors

and mishaps, ranging from the trivial (misplac-

ing your keys) to the serious (walking into traffic

because you’re texting). Cognitive psychologists

have, therefore, devoted a great deal of study