3. Thinking
Thinking in psychology is the process of consciously
generating and manipulating thoughts and ideas in the
mind.
Thinking is an essential process for humans. It allows us
to solve problems, learn new information, understand
concepts, and process our experiences.
Thinking involves the entire process
of learning, remembering, and organizing mentally to
understand the information better and recall it later.
4. Nature of thinking
It is essentially a cognitive activity
It is always directed to achieve some end or purpose
It is describe as a problem solving behavior
It is a symbolic activity
it can shift very rapidly
5. Thinking
Thinking can refer to the act of producing thoughts or the
process of producing thoughts
Thinking is the ultimate cognitive activity, consciously
using our brain to make sense of the world around us and
decide how to respond to it
Thought can refer to the ideas or arrangements of ideas
that result from thinking
A thought may be an idea, an image, a sound or even an
emotional feeling
6. Thinking allows humans to make sense
of interpret, represent
or model the world they experience,
and to make predictions
about that world
In spite of the fact that thought
is a fundamental human activity
familiar to everyone, there is no
generally accepted agreement
as to what thought is or how it is created
7. Theories and Models of Thinking
Behaviorist Theory
Behaviorists view thinking as something that produces a measureable change in an
individual’s actions. Since thinking takes place as a result of reacting to external
stimuli in this model
Pavlov’s famous experiment about dogs salivating when they would hear the dinner
bell ring is an example of behaviorist theory
Cognitive Theory
Cognitive theorists such as Piaget and Gagne argue that thinking and learning are
internal mental actions that take place in the brain and include sensory
perception, processing of information, applying and combining information, and
memory
8. Humanist Theory
In the humanist model, the purpose of thinking is to fulfill an individual’s potential.
As such, the acts of thinking and learning are always personal, not institutional.
Also known as “whole child” theory, humanists advise that the purpose of
education is to develop a self-motivated, autonomous individual who can think and
learn on his own
10. Different Types of Thinking
Perceptual Thinking- This is the simplest type of thinking.
The basic of this type of thinking is perception.
This type of thinking is mostly seen in animals, Children .
Conceptual thinking consists of the ability to find
connections or patterns between abstract ideas and then piece
them together to form a complete picture
11. Logical Thinking
It aims at solving complex problems rather than simple
problem.it requires organization of all the relevant experiences and
finding new way of reacting to the situation.
Critical thinking – Critical thinking is an higher order well
disciplined thought process.it is used in solving critical
problems. E.g. Nurse
12. Creative thinking – This type of thinking aims at crating something
new. In this the individual himself formulates the problem and free to
invent tools for the solution. E.g. Scientist
Innovative thinking involves generating new ideas or new ways of
approaching things to create possibilities and opportunities
13. Convergent Thinking: Convergent thinking is the
process of coming up with the best answer to a question
using our memory, resources around us, or logic
Many Solution
Divergent Thinking: Divergent thinking is the exact
opposite of convergent thinking. It involves coming up
to solutions, paths forward or new ideas when there is
no single correct answer
Single standard solution
14. Problem solving
It is a tool, skill and 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, speak a
language
It is also a process because it involves thinking a number
of steps
Every time you use problem solving process, you are
increasing your problem solving skills
15. Steps in problem solving-
cycles
1. Identify the problem
2. Explore the problem
3. Set goals
4. Look at alternatives
5. Select a possible solution
6. Implement a possible solution
7. Evaluation