Problem Solving, Decision-Making, and Biases (6B) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Sunk cost fallacy. Irrecoverable past investments wrongly justify continued commitment.

Sudden realization of a solution; an “aha” experience. Often occurs after incubation when conscious effort stops.

Inability to see an object being used for a new function. Limits creative problem-solving by restricting perceived uses.

Continuing due to past investment rather than future benefit. Irrational because past costs cannot be recovered.

Seeking or interpreting evidence that supports existing beliefs. Leads to ignoring disconfirming evidence systematically.

Losses are weighted more heavily than equivalent gains. Psychological pain of loss exceeds pleasure of equal gain.

Maintaining a belief despite evidence that contradicts it. Cognitive dissonance drives resistance to changing views.

Overestimating the correctness of one’s beliefs or predictions. Metacognitive failure in assessing one's own knowledge limits.

Judging probability by similarity to a prototype or stereotype. Ignores base rates in favor of stereotypical features.

A mental shortcut; faster but more error-prone than algorithms. Trades accuracy for speed in reaching solutions.

Choices change with wording; driven by gain vs loss framing. Risk-seeking for losses, risk-averse for gains.

Belief that past random events make opposite outcomes more likely. Misunderstands independence of random events.

Availability heuristic. Media coverage makes rare events seem more probable.

Representativeness heuristic. Stereotypes override statistical base rates.

Sunk cost fallacy. Past investment wrongly justifies future spending.

Confirmation bias. Selective attention maintains existing beliefs.

Tendency to use previously successful strategies even when inappropriate. Past success creates cognitive rigidity in new situations.

Overreliance on an initial value when making estimates. First information disproportionately influences subsequent judgments.

Judging likelihood by how easily examples come to mind. Recent or vivid memories bias probability estimates.

Failure to see an object’s possible uses beyond its typical function. Limits creative problem-solving by constraining perceived options.

Losses are weighted more strongly than equivalent gains. Psychological pain of losing exceeds pleasure of gaining.

Algorithm: guaranteed method; heuristic: quick shortcut, not guaranteed. Algorithms follow systematic steps; heuristics use mental shortcuts.

Tendency to use a familiar strategy even when it is not optimal. Past successful approaches can create cognitive rigidity.

Representativeness heuristic (base rate neglect). Stereotypical match ignores statistical base rates.

Sunk cost fallacy. Past investments wrongly justify continued commitment.

Belief that past random outcomes change future independent probabilities. Misunderstanding independence in random sequences.

Judging likelihood by how easily examples come to mind. Recent or vivid memories bias probability estimates.

Judging probability by similarity to a prototype, ignoring base rates. Stereotypical features override statistical probabilities.

Ignoring population prevalence when estimating probability. Specific case details overshadow general frequency data.