THINKING

CHAPTER 8
Definition of Thinking

THINKING - A higher mental process that involves analysing and drawing meaning
from the information which we receive from our environment.
 base of all the cognitive activities
 overt Behaviour
 goal-directed
Building Blocks of Thought
MENTAL IMAGES
 Mental representation of sensory experience. For example, using maps
 Two types :
• Memory image - those images that resemble the object or event being represented.
• Eidetic Image - a sharp and detailed visual representation of something that has been seen
CONCEPTS
 Mental representation of categories and refers to those ideas, objects which share common
properties and features.
 Natural concepts have no set of properly defined features that are based on prototypes.
 Logical Concepts are the ones that can be clearly defined by a set of rules or features.
The Nature of Thinking

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBVV8pch1dM
THE PROCESSES OF THINKING

PROBLEM SOLVING
REASONING
DECISION-MAKING
PROBLEM SOLVING
 A way of thinking that is usually goal-directed and intended towards solving a
particular problem.
Obstacles To Solving Problems –
 Mental set
• Functional fixedness
 Lack Of Motivation
Mental Operations Involved in Solving a Problem –
IRPESER
Activity 1 – Count 1 -10
Activity 2 – Connect the dots
REASONING
 A process that involves –
• Inference
• Used in logical thinking and problem solving and
• Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the information and facts.
 Two types –

Deductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning from general assumptions Drawing a general conclusion based
to particular conclusion. on a particular observation.
Accurate assumptions should be The goal is to determine what
made so that we are able to draw apt conclusion can be drawn from certain
conclusions. given information.
Decision-Making
 A kind of problem-solving in which there are several alternatives and after
evaluating the cost and benefit associated with each alternative, the best
alternative must be chosen.
 Judgment and Decision Making are interrelated processes.
 Judgment is a process by which we form opinions, arrive at conclusions, and make
critical evaluations about objects, events, and people on the basis of available
information.
 Nature of Creative Thinking
Creative Thinking - Solving problems in a novel and unique manner. Thinking is said to be creative
when:
 “Effective surprise” - it need not be rare or infrequent or bizarre and is often none of these things.
Effective surprises … seem rather to have the quality of obviousness about them when they occur,
producing a shock of recognition following which there is no longer astonishment.
 Appropriateness
 Reality-oriented,
 Constructive,
 Socially desirable.
J.P. Guilford, a pioneer in creativity research, proposed two types of thinking: Convergent and Divergent.
 Convergent thinking has only one correct answer and it does not lead to the generation of new ideas.
Ex, closed ended questions.
 Divergent Thinking has many correct answers and leads to the generation of new and novel ideas.
Ex, open ended questions.
Divergent thinking abilities generally include the following:
 Fluency - Ability to produce many ideas for a given task or a problem. For ex, more
the number of uses of a paper cup, more would be the fluency.
 Flexibility - Indicates variety in thinking. Ex, different interpretation of a picture.
 Originality - Ability to produce ideas that are rare or unusual. Ex, seeing new
relationships, combining old ideas with new ones, looking at things from different
perspectives etc.
 Elaboration - Ability that enables a person to go into details and workout
implications of new ideas.
 Process of Creative Thinking
Process Creative Thinking
Preparation The problem is clearly formulated in this stage. Facts and information about the
problem is collected to comprehensively understand. Analyse of the problem.

Incubation It is characterized by a feeling of getting stuck as creative ideas don’t occur

when we consciously think about the problem. They usually occur during the
time of relaxation.

Illumination There is a sudden realization of the solution of the problem into the
consciousness.

Verification The solution is found in the illumination stage is tested to see that whether it
works or not and what kind of modification is needed is also considered.

Revision If a solution is not reached, a revision may be a prerequisite.

Barriers to Creative Thinking

 The tendency to be overpowered and influenced by pre-existing habits.

 Motivational and emotional barriers show that creativity is more than
just a cognitive process, like fear of failure, lack of motivation hinder our
creative thinking ability.
 Cultural Barriers are related to excessive adherence to tradition,
expectations, and conformity. It arises due to the fear of being different,
social pressure, mediocrity, etc.
Strategies for Creative Thinking

 Encourage self-evaluation.
 Be positive and confident in life.
 Develop independent thinking in making judgments.
 See multiple angles and perspectives of a particular problem.
 Resist the temptation of instant gratification.
Ways to enhance creative thinking

 Osborn’s Brainstorming technique can be used to increase fluency and flexibility of

ideas to open-ended situations which does help in increasing the fluency of ideas
and piling up alternatives.
 Getting feedback on the solutions we devise from those who have less personal
involvement in the task helps us to see the problem in an objective and unbiased
manner.
 Developing Independent Thinking in taking decisions and making judgments
increase our self-esteem.
 The use of imagination and visualization helps us increase our creative potential.
 Diagram thinking-sometimes ideas cluster like branches of a tree and this way we
can organise our ideas in a systematic and organized manner
Thought and Language
Language as a Determinant of Thought
 Benjamin Lee Whorf said that the language we use determines the content of our
thought - Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis.
 The extent to which individuals can think is to a large extent determined by the
language we use.
Thought as a Determinant of language
 Piaget believed that thought not only determines language, it precedes it
 Children form an internal representation of the world.
 Through thinking, language is just a vehicle for thought.
 A child’s observation and imitation of the other person’s behavior involves thinking but
no language.
Different origins of language and thought

 Lev Vygotsky, an esteemed Russian Psychologist said that language and thought
to develop separately in a child until about two years of age when they merge
 Before 2 years of age, thought is experienced more in action rather than verbal.
 Around 2 years of age child begins to express his/her thought verbally and in a
rational way.
Development Of Language and Language Use

Meaning and Nature of Language –

Human Language is more complex, creative, and spontaneous. Three basic

characteristics:
(a) the presence of symbols,
(b)a set of rules to organise these symbols, and
(c) communication
Development Of Language –
Stages of Language Development are elaborated below:
 Newborn babies and young infants make a variety of sounds which gradually get modified to
resemble words. The first sound produced by babies is crying which is similar across many
situations and pitch intensity changes to signify different states such as hunger, pain, etc.
 At around 6 months of age, children enter the babbling phase which involves repetition of a
variety of vowel and condiment words.
 By about 9 months of age, these sounds get elaborated to strings to some sound
combinations such as (dadada) into repetitive patterns.
 Around 1st birthday most of the children enter the one-word stage and the first word usually
contains one syllable(example ma,pa).
 Around 18-20 months of age children enter two words stage which exemplifies telegraphic
speech and contains mostly mound and verbs
 Close to their 3rd Birthday which is 2.5 years, children’s language development gets focused
on the rules of the language they hear. This is called Syntactic Development.