THINKING
Introduction
■ Human are rational beings & our rationality
consists in our ability to think & reason.
■ It is because of our capacity for better
thinking that we are superior to other
animals in learning & in making adjustment.
■ During most of our waking hours, & even
when we are asleep & dreaming, we are
thinking.
■ What are you thinking about right now.
Definition of Thinking
■ Thinking is an activity concerning ideas, symbolic in character
initiated by a problem or task which the individual is facing,
involving some trial & error but under the directing influence of
that problem & ultimately leading to a conclusion or solution of
the problem.
--------Warren
■ Thinking is the organization & reorganization of current
learning in the present circumstances with the help of learning
& past experiences.
---------Vinacke (1968)
■ Thinking is the perceptual relationship which provides for the
solution of the problem.
--------Maie
Nature of Thinking
■ It is essentially a cognitive activity.
■ It is described as a problem-solving behavior.
■ It is mental exploration instead of motor exploration.
■ It can shift very rapidly.
■ It is internal activity.
Types of Thinking
■ Perceptual or concrete thinking
■ Conceptual or abstract thinking
■ Creative thinking
■ Logical thinking/ reasoning
■ Problem solving
■ Convergent Vs Divergent thinking
Perceptual Thinking
■ It is based on perception.
■ Perception is the process of interpretation of
sensation according to one’s experience.
■ It is also called concrete thinking as it is carried over
the perception of actual or concrete & events.
■ It is one-dimentional & literal thinking which has
limited use of metaphor without understanding
nuances of meaning.
■ Being the simplest form of thinking, small children
are mostly benefitted by this type of thinking.
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Perception
“We see what we expect to see”
Perception
Perception
Perception
Perception
Perception
Perception
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Conceptual or Abstract thinking
■ It does not require the perception of actual objects or events.
■ It is also called abstract thinking as it makes the use of
concepts or abstract ideas.
■ It is superior to perceptual thinking's as it economizes efforts
in understanding & helps in discovery & invention.
■ It is ability to appreciate nuances of meaning.
■ It is multidimensional thinking with ability to use metaphors &
hypotheses appropriately.
■ Language plays an important part in conceptual thinking.
Abstract vs Concrete Thinking
Creative Thinking
■ It refers to the ability for original thinking, to create or discover
something new.
■ It is the ability to integrate the various elements of the
situation into a harmonious whole to create something novel.
■ In other words, cognitive activity directed towards some
creative work refers to creative thinking.
■ Creative thinkers are great boons to the society as they enrich
the knowledge of mankind.
■ The creative thinker tries to achieve something new, to
produce something original & something unique
Logical Thinking / Reasoning
■ It is the cognitive process of looking for reasons for beliefs,
conclusion, actions or feelings.
■ It is the process of drawing conclusions based on evidence.
■ It is form of controlled thinking in which the thought process is
directed consciously towards the solutions of a problem.
■ Reasoning is the highest form of thinking to find out causes &
predict effects.
■ An individual tries to solve a problem by incorporating two or
more aspects of his past experience.
■ Your last good ping-pong ball fell down into a narrow
metal pipe imbedded in concrete one foot deep.
How can you get it out undamaged, if all the tools
you have are your tennis paddle, your shoe-laces,
and your water bottle, which does not fit into the
pipe?
Logical Thinking / Reasoning
■ It is classified into;
■ Inductive reasoning:
– This is process of reasoning from parts to the whole, from
example to generalizations. It is carried out generally
within the field known as informal logic or critical thinking.
■ Deductive reasoning:
– This moves from the whole to part, from generalization to
underlying concepts to examples. Formal logic is described
as “the science of deduction.”
■ Abductive reasoning:
– It is cognitive process often involves both inductive &
deductive arguments.
Problem Solving
■ It is a tool, skill & a process.
■ It is a tool because it can help you solve an immediate problem
or to achieve a goal.
■ It is a skill because once you have learnt it you can use it
repeatedly, like the ability to ride a bicycle, add numbers or
speak a language.
■ It is also a process because it involve taking a number of
steps.
■ You can engage in problem solving if you want to reach a goal
& experience obstacles on the way.
■ At the point at which you come up against a barrier you can
engage in a problem solving process to help you achieve your
goal.
Convergent vs Divergent Thinking
■ Convergent thinking is cognitive processing of
information around a common point, an attempt to
bring thoughts from different directions into a union
for common conclusion
■ Divergent thinking starts from a common point &
moves outward into a variety of perspectives. Eg;
teachers use the content as a vehicle to prompt
diverse or unique thinking among students rather
than a common view.
Convergent vs Divergent Thinking
Three ways of thinking
■ Emotional
■ Epistemic: based on knowledge and experience
■ Primitive: based on instinct