EICHER SCHOOL,
FARIDABAD
PSYCHOLOGY, CLASS XI
CHAPTER 7
THINKING
Nature of Thinking
Thinking is a higher mental process that involves analysing and drawing meaning
from the information which we receive from our environment.
It is considered as the base of all the cognitive activities like Problem
Solving, Decision Making, etc.
It is an internal mental process that can be understood from our overt
Behaviour
It is goal-directed in nature
Building blocks of thought
People usually think by means of mental images or thoughts which are discussed
below-
Mental Images
It is defined as a mental representation of sensory experience
We usually think about places, events, etc
For example, using maps and locating different places there subsequently
requires the use of mental images.
Images
Memory image includes those images that resemble the object or event
being represented.
Concepts
Whenever we come across a novel object we try to understand what it
actually is, what its features and characteristics are and we try to match it
with features of the existing category, and if it is a perfect match we include
that object in the category with whom it’s features match.
A concept is defined as the mental representation of categories and refers
to those ideas, objects which share common properties and features.
Concepts are of two types-
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.
Why do we need to Form concepts?
We need to form concepts because of the reasons mentioned below:
It helps in Organizing our knowledge and that makes our knowledge
accessible when we need it.
Saves our time and effort.
We form concepts to make our thought process quick and efficient.
Problem-solving
Problem-solving is described as a way of thinking that is usually goal-directed
and intended towards solving a particular problem.
Obstacles To Solving Problems
A Mental set is defined as the tendency of a person to solve problems in
an already tried and tested manner and that at times leads to rigidity
which obstructs us in solving problems in a unique manner.
Lack Of Motivation is also another reason why people fail to solve
problems because even if a person has a sharp mind and intelligence
but lacks motivation then that intelligence is of very little use.
Reasoning
It is a process that involves inference and is used in logical thinking and
problem solving and conclusions are drawn in reasoning on the basis of the
information and facts available.
Deductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning begins with Inductive Reasoning is based on
making a general assumption about specific facts and observations.
something and draws conclusions on It involves drawing a general
the basis of those assumptions. conclusion based on a particular
It is Reasoning from general to observation.
particular. The goal is to determine what
Accurate assumptions should be conclusion can be drawn from
made so that we are able to draw apt certain given information.
conclusions.
Decision Making
Decision-Making is a kind of problem-solving in which we have 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. However,
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 and process of Creative Thinking
Creative thinking as the name suggests is mainly about solving problems in a
novel and unique manner and coming up with something unique or out of the
box.
It includes both convergent and divergent thinking but more convergent
thinking.
Creativity can be applied in most fields and everyone has the potential
to be creative.
Convergent thinking has only one correct answer and it does not lead to
the generation of new ideas.
Divergent Thinking has many correct answers and leads to the
generation of new and novel ideas.
Stages of Creative Thinking are discussed below:
Preparation The problem is clearly formulated in this stage and
facts and information about the problem is collected to
comprehensively understand and analyse the
problem.
Incubation It is the second stage of Creative Thinking and 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 It is the third stage of Creative Thinking where there is
the sudden realization of the solution of the problem
into the consciousness.
Verification In the fourth stage of Creative Thinking, 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 In the last stage of Creative Thinking, if a solution is
not reached, a revision may be a prerequisite.
Barriers to creative thinking
Barriers to Creative Thinking are discussed below-
The tendency to be overpowered and influenced by pre-existing habits
is a huge obstruction in the creative thinking process and coming up
with out of the box ideas
Motivational and emotional barriers show that creativity is more than
just a cognitive process as other factors 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 to overcome creative thinking Barriers
Strategies that can be used to overcome barriers associated with creative
thinking are elucidated below:
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
Some of the ways which can be used to enhance creative thinking are
elucidated below:
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 had this point of view that the language we use
determines the content of our thought which is termed the 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 who is an esteemed Russian Psychologist was of the
view 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
Language involves the use of symbols and symbols represent someone or
something. It involves the use of rules and when we present two or more
words together a proper and logical sequence is followed. Language is
primarily used for communicating one’s thoughts, feelings, and ideas to others
People who can’t use oral speech communicate through the use of signs
which is a form of language
Development Of Language
Human Language is more complex, creative, and spontaneous as compared
to the system of Communication which other animals use
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.
How language is Acquired?
Some suggest that language acquisition is primarily biologically
determined. This is typically a nativity position in the nature-nurture
debate.
Language development for Behaviourists like B.F.Skinner follows
learning principles like association, imitation, and reinforcement that is
in terms of operant conditioning
Noam Chomsky suggested that children are born with a language
acquisition device, LAD, which represents knowledge of universal
grammar.
