Lecture Chapter 8 Thinking

8/19/2019 Lecture Chapter 8 Thinking

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PSY 2012 General Psychology

Chapter 8: Thinking and Intelligence

Samuel ! "athe#s$ Ph!%! &ssociate Pro'essor

The %epartment o' Psychology

The (ni)ersity o' *est +lorida


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e)ie# 'rom ,"emory-

. *orking "emory 'unctions to process

in'ormation 'or encoding into /ong Term

"emory

Processes o' rehearsal relate to ho# #ell

in'ormation can e retrie)ed 'rom memory

Organization o' in'ormation relates to ho# #ellin'ormation can e retrie)ed and to #hat #e

can do #ith that in'ormation


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Thinking: o# is it di''erent 'rom

rememering3

. Thinking in)ol)es not only retrie)ing

in'ormation ut also doing something #ith

it

%eciding something

Sol)ing a prolem

4udging something

Creating something

+inding something

5tc!$


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Thinking: *hat6s in)ol)ed3

. Concepts7mental representations

. Contents o' Concepts:

Classes or categories dogs$ ooks$ etc!$9 &ttriutes or characteristics red$ tall$ pain'ul9

&stractions or nontangile ideas lo)e$ hate9

Procedures or processes ho# to do ;;;;9

Goals or intentions 'uture plans9


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Thinking: *hat6s in our thoughts3

. Types o' Concepts

Natural:

. ed until #e are asked to de'ine

the natural concepts

Artificial:

. (sually ased on 'ormal set o' e=periences

.


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Thinking: *hat6s in our thoughts3

. Concepts typically ased on prototypes:

General representations linguistic or )isual9

that represent the o@ect or class ut may not

represent an indi)idual memer

The idea o' ,ird- may not e an indi)idual ut

some comination o' attriutes that allo#s usto identi'y #hat is ,ird- and ,not ird!-


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Argani>ation o' our thoughts:

. ierarchical:

+rom most inclusi)e and general to less

inclusi)e and more speci'ic

"ammalBuadraped%og


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Argani>ation o' our thoughts: Culture and

Indi)idual %i''erences

. Indi)iduals6 o#n e=perience #ith le)els o'a hierarchy #ill determine the uniueorgani>ation o' the hierarchy!

. Collecti)e cultural9 e=periences can leadto roader agreement on de'initions o'concepts!

. %i''erent de'initions o' concepts can leadto )ery di''erent outcomes in prolem

sol)ing$ decision making$ etc!


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Thinking$ 5=pectations$ and Predictions

. Argani>ation o' in'ormation in schemas

leads us to create e=pectations andpredictions #ith little in'ormation

.The constructive nature o' memory isased on our making in'erences ased onincomplete kno#ledge

. Gi)en competing interpretations$ #e tendto adopt those that are in agreement #ithour schema


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Thinking$ 5=pectations$ and Predictions

. Scripts

Schema 'or process or seuence o' e)entsD

Scripts are use'ul in routine seuences o'

e)ents e!g! 'ast 'ood restaurantD listening to a

lecture9

Scripts allo# us to operate on ,automatic- as

long as things are predictale!


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Scripts$ Schemas$ and Con'lict

. Scripts or schemas ased on narro# sets

o' e=periences can lead the indi)idual to

@udge others6 eha)ior 'rom a iased

perspecti)e

. Indi)iduals and cultures #ith con'licting

scripts or schemas 'reuently e=perience

challenges in communication


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Thinking: Considered eason or

(nconscious Process

. &utomatic:

Thinking that occurs as a matter o' haitD

Thinking that typically reuires little e''ortD

Thinking that is impacted y e=isting iasesD +reuently leads to less than optimal outcomes

. Controlled:

Thinking that is goal directed

Thinking that reuires intentional e''ort

Thinking ased on analysis o' e=isting iases

+reuently leads to more optimal outcomes etter

choices and decisions9


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+unctions o' Thinking: ProlemSol)ing

. ProlemSol)ing Sternerg$ 1E8FD 2009 ecogni>ing there is a prolem

. "onitoring the situation to recogni>e some goal is

not eing met

Consider multiple problem definitions yanaly>ing conte=t and identi'ying a goal

epresenting or categori>ing in'ormationaout the prolem

+ ti ' Thi ki P l S l i


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+unctions o' Thinking: ProlemSol)ing

Sternerg$ 1E8F$ 2009

. Constructing or identi'ying a strategy 'or sol)ing

the prolem consider multiple strategies9

. Identi'y and allocate resources needed to carry

out the solution strategy

. "onitor progress o' the solution strategy

. 5)aluate the solution strategy y otaining

'eedack


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Thinking as Prolem Sol)ing

Selecting or de)eloping a strategy. &lgorithm:

Prede'ined set o' proceduresD

Gi)en the procedures are carried out the outcome ispredictale

*orks est 'or routine prolems 'iguring out ho# muchmileage your car gets per gallon9

. euristic: General rule that may #ork most o' the time

ules that typically apply to most prolems

*orking


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. Prolems #ith Prolem Sol)ing

"ental Set. Perceptual Set7percei)ing the prolem 'rom only

one perspecti)e radiation treatment prolem7in

class discussion9

. esponse Set7accessing only one solution

response ,it6s the #ay #e6)e al#ays done it-9


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. Prolems #ith Prolem Sol)ing

Functional fixedness:. +ocusing on one aspect o' a potential solution

#hen another aspect might e more success'ul

Self-imposed limitations A Self-

Handicapping :

. Creating limits to protect one6s status or pre)ent

one 'rom 'ailing

. "ay e ,unconscious- to the indi)idual may e

ased on percei)ed social status7se=$ race9


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Thinking as %ecision"aking

. %ecisionmaking implies selecting one course o'

action o)er one or more othersD. %ecisionmaking 'reuently encountered as

deductive reasoning 7constructing logical

conclusions ased on in'ormationD

. %ecisionmaking ranges 'rom lo# stakes

decisions e!g! #hat shoes to #earD #hat to

#atch on t!)!9 to high stakes decisions e!g! #hat

career to 'ollo#D #hether to use illegal drugs ornot9


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Thinking as %ecision"aking:


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Thinking as %ecision"aking:


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ProlemSol)ing and %ecision"aking

as Critical Thinking

. Those #ho make good decisions andsol)e prolems #ith higher le)els o'

success share characteristics o' critical

thin"ing

Thinking is goal directed

Thinking is ased on logic and reliale

in'ormation

Ane6s o#n assumptions and iases areuestioned 'irst

Ather6s assumptions and assertions are

uestioned


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. Critical thinking cont6d9

&ssertions are supported #ith )alid and

reliale supporting data

&lternati)e and oppositional )ie#s are

considered 'airly

Contradictory data or e)idence are

considered and re'uted 'airly.


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. Indi)iduals #ho possess a disposition 'or

critical thinking

ha)e the attriutes o' critical thinking as their

normal approach to sol)ing prolems andmaking decisionsD

typically make more adaptale decisions and

sol)e prolems more success'ullyD "odi'y their standpoints ased on logic$ data$

and reason rather than authority$ elie'$ or

ias e!g! a)ailaility$ representati)eness$ etc!9


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Thinking Creati)ely

. %i)ergent rather than con)ergent thinking

seeking multiple possiilities9. igh le)els o' kno#ledge and interest in the

rele)ant domain

. Sees prolems as potentially comple=

. Typically restructures prolems

. Simultaneously seeks interactions #ith other

creati)e indi)iduals and re'lects independent

thinking

. Intelligence and creati)ity relationship comple=

and not direct


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Lecture Chapter 8 Thinking