Thinking, Concepts, Mental Images, and Symbols

Notes

THINKING & PROBLEM SOLVING What is thinking ? What are you thinking about at this moment? ➢ The mere ability to pose such a question underscores the distinctive nature of the human ability to think. ➢ No other species contemplates, analyzes, recollects, or plans the way humans do. 2 3 Manipulation of mental representations of information “ What is thinking ? ➢ A representation may take the form of a ✓ word, ✓ a visual image, ✓ a sound, ✓ or data in any other sensory modality stored in memory. ➢ Thinking transforms a specific representation of information into new and different forms, allowing us to answer questions, solve problems, reach goals, imagine, reason etc. 4 1 Elements of thinking Concept. Images. Symbols. 5 Concepts Categorizations of objects, events, or people that share common properties 6 Concepts ◉ If someone asks you what is in your kitchen cabinet, ◉ you might answer with a detailed list of items (“a jar of peanut butter, three boxes of macaroni and cheese, six unmatched dinner plates,” and so forth). ◉ More likely, though, you would respond by naming some broader categories, such as “food” and “dishes.” ◉ Using such categories reflects the operation of concepts 7 C...