Concepts of Thinking

Concepts of Thinking in Psychology

Thinking is a broad topic, and there are different types, ways, and characteristics of thinking. At the center of this topic is what we call cognition.

Concepts

How do we organize all of the information that we think about? We mentally organize information into categories. Concepts are mental groupings of events, similar objects, ideas, and people. Fruit is an example of a concept. There are many kinds of fruit that fit into that category in our minds. Even more specifically, the concept of yellow fruit probably makes you think of bananas and pineapples.

Grouping information into concepts gives our minds less work to do. Without organizing information this way, we would have to create a new word for everything! How do we create a concept in our minds? Creating a concept begins with a prototype!

Prototypes

Prototypes are simply representative mental images or examples of a concept. When we match a new item to a prototype, it creates a pathway of quick sorting for easier recall later on. When you think about fruits, what fruit comes to mind first? Is it an apple? If so, this is probably your fruit prototype! It tells you what qualifies as fruit and should get sorted into that category.

When we encounter an object that is new to us, we may need a new prototype. We might make an entirely new category in our mind for the object, or we can learn more about the object to see if we can fit it into an existing category. Maybe we change up our understanding of a concept and prototype completely to fit a new example!

Concept and prototype, StudySmarter Original

The Definition of Thinking in Psychology

When we intentionally and carefully apply our thoughts to the world around us in order to understand, relate, and solve problems, our cognition turns into critical thinking. John Dewey (1910) introduced the term critical thinking and described it as the application of understanding. He also referred to critical thinking as reflective thinking or reflective thought.

John Dewey's Critical Thinking

John Dewey stated that critical or reflective thinking begins with wanting to solve a problem. Dewey says that finding an answer based on available data is the absolute essence of the scientific approach. Answering a question using the scientific approach requires creativity, intellectual honesty, and reliable judgment.

Critical thinking requires a higher form of thought processing and refined cognitive abilities. Critical thinking requires skills such as conceptualization, interpretation, and analysis. How do we think critically? When we are taking a math test, for example, what cognitive tools or concepts can we use to answer the questions?

Concepts and Tools of Thinking in Psychology

Just like you need tools to build things in real life, we use cognitive tools to solve problems and understand new information.

Tools of Thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy

Benjamin Bloom (1956) came up with a hierarchy of cognitive tools called Bloom's taxonomy. It includes 6 levels of cognitive tools that move from simple to complex. These levels (in order) are remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. If you want to know how well you understand a topic, see how many of Bloom's tools you can use as you think and talk about the topic.

Bloom's Taxonomy, StudySmarter Original

We rely heavily on different kinds of thinking to find answers to many questions and problems in life. What are some examples of using different kinds of thinking in real life?

Algorithms

In science classes or math classes, we are taught algorithms to help us find solutions. An algorithm is a method or procedure for figuring out a solution to a problem. An example of this is PEMDAS or the order of operations in math. The answer to the math problem will be different depending on which order of operations you use to answer it! Algorithms guarantee a correct answer if they are used correctly.

Heuristic Thinking

A simpler type of thinking is called heuristic thinking. While this strategy is simple and quick, there is also a lot of room for error. You can think of heuristic thinking as a trial and error approach to solving problems.

What happens if heuristic thinking fails to give you a solution? Often, we walk away from the problem and go about our day. As we take a test, we can move past the question we are unable to answer. Suddenly, without warning, an answer seems to just pop up in your mind! This is called insight, often referred to as an "Aha!" moment.

Characteristics of Thinking in Psychology

Mental sets, intuition, and metacognition are some characteristics of thinking in psychology. Do we approach a problem the same way each time? Do we follow a gut instinct or intuition to answer a question? What is metacognition?

A mental set means approaching the solution to a problem in the same way that we have in the past. It worked for us last time, so why not try it again? Does this approach or way of thinking always work for every kind of problem? No, but mental sets can still be beneficial as thinking shortcuts. If it is raining outside, we automatically take an umbrella with us because an umbrella proved useful in the past.

What about our intuition? These are thoughts or felt, gut senses that can be disconnected from reason or based on our emotions. Intuition means you just know what to do. When we need to act or problem-solve quickly, we can use intuition to come up with a solution. Often, our intuitions are rooted in heuristic thinking.

Metacognition is thinking about your thinking. It is how we plan, assess, and monitor our performance on a task, understanding of a certain subject, or solutions to problems. Metacognition helps a person reorder their thoughts about a particular task or problem. Learning, understanding, and other thinking strategies build up your cognitive abilities. Ultimately, they help you think more deeply about different topics and develop your metacognition.