IB Psychology 2.2 Cognitive Approach Key Definitions

The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the "anchor") when making decisions, even if it is irrelevant or arbitrary.

Classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

This concept was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov in his famous experiments with dogs.

The idea that working memory has limited capacity, and learning is more effective when unnecessary demands are reduced.

Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behaviour is shaped by its consequences.

The view that knowledge is stored in long-term memory as organised mental frameworks called schemas, which guide attention, fill in missing information, and shape memory by reconstructing events to fit prior expectations.