LAFD FCA flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Spaced practice

Distributing study sessions across days with gaps between them. It produces slower initial gains than one long session but substantially better long-term retention and recall.

Retrieval practice

Recalling information from memory rather than rereading it. Delayed-test performance is typically far higher after retrieval, even though rereading feels more effective at the time.

Interleaving

Mixing different but related problem types within one practice session. It forces the learner to discriminate between types and improves transfer to unfamiliar problems.

Forgetting curve

The pattern in which memory for new material decays fastest in the first day, then flattens. Reviews at roughly one day, one week, and one month capture most of the retention benefit.

Working memory capacity

The limited store holding about four chunks of information at once. Grouping raw data into meaningful chunks expands the effective amount that can be held and manipulated.

Elaborative interrogation

Asking and answering 'why is this true?' about material being learned. It builds extra retrieval routes and produces stronger memory than verbatim repetition.

Modus ponens

A valid argument form: if P then Q; P is true; therefore Q is true. The conclusion follows necessarily from the two premises.

Modus tollens

A valid argument form: if P then Q; Q is false; therefore P is false. Denying the consequent is a valid inference.

Affirming the consequent

An invalid argument: if P then Q; Q is true; therefore P. Other causes could produce Q, so the conclusion does not follow necessarily.

Denying the antecedent

An invalid argument: if P then Q; P is false; therefore Q is false. The outcome may still occur through a different route.

Necessary condition

A factor without which the outcome cannot occur. Its absence guarantees the outcome fails; its presence does not guarantee the outcome occurs.

Sufficient condition

A factor whose presence guarantees the outcome occurs. It may not be the only route, so its absence does not guarantee failure.

Correlation versus causation

A statistical association between two variables does not prove one causes the other. Reverse causation, a common cause, or selection effects can produce the same association.

Base-rate neglect

Ignoring how common a condition is when interpreting a test result. For a rare condition, even an accurate test yields mostly false positives.

Main idea question

A comprehension question asking for the passage's central claim. The correct answer must cover the whole passage; a statement true of only one paragraph is a detail.

EXCEPT question

A question that inverts the usual task: three options are supported by the passage and one is not. Each option must be checked against the text individually.

Valid inference

A conclusion forced by the given text. If an option requires outside knowledge or an unstated leap, it is not a valid inference even if plausible.

Tone and purpose

The author's attitude and reason for writing, signaled by evaluative words such as 'unfortunately' or 'remarkably' rather than by the topic alone.

Dispatch information order

The typical sequence in emergency radio traffic: location, nature of the emergency, casualties, and units requested. Notes should follow this order.

Read-back confirmation

Repeating digits, addresses, and street names back to the speaker. Numbers and addresses are the highest-error elements in audio comprehension.

Order of operations

Parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. It determines the single correct value of an expression.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals (new minus old) divided by old, times 100. A 20% rise then a 20% fall gives a net 4% decrease, not zero.

Ratio share formula

To split a total T in ratio a to b, one share equals T times a divided by (a plus b). The shares sum back to T.

Distance, rate, time

Distance equals rate multiplied by time. Rearranged, time equals distance divided by rate, and rate equals distance divided by time. Units must stay consistent.

Mean and total

The mean equals the sum divided by the count. If the mean of n items is m, the total is n times m, which allows finding a missing value.

Dividing fractions

To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal: a/b divided by c/d equals a/b times d/c. Adding fractions instead requires a common denominator.

Assumption negation test

Negate a suspected unstated premise. If the argument collapses when the premise is false, that premise was a necessary assumption of the argument.

Survivorship bias

Drawing conclusions from successes only, while the failures that would change the conclusion are missing from the data.

Absolute versus relative risk

A doubling of a very rare event can still be rare. The base rate must be checked before judging the real-world magnitude of a change.

Combined work rate

When two workers act together, their rates add. Time working together equals 1 divided by (1/a plus 1/b), where a and b are individual times.

Weighted average

The total of each group size multiplied by its average, divided by the total count. Two group averages cannot simply be averaged without weighting.

Sequential percent factors

Successive percent changes are combined by multiplying factors: a 20% rise then a 20% fall is 1.2 times 0.8, or 0.96, a net 4% decrease.