The Meaning and

Importance of Thinking
The Motor Theory of Thinking
Many psychologist consider thinking as a form of
behaviour despite the fact that the process is not
readily observable. It is a kind of implicit behaviour
often inferred from explicit behaviour, which is
easily and directly observed.
Example
Playing chess or dama
Through the movements of two players in the Filipino
chess game, we can infer that they are thinking.
The motor theory of thinking affirms that we are
talking to ourselves when we think, using in a form of
silent language.
Equivalent Terms of Thinking
A variety of equivalent meaning to the term
thinking includes reference to intention,
anticipation, reasoning, memory, realization,
judgement, or evaluation, decision-making,
imagination, and creativity.
I am concerned with and I believe are
usually equivalent to I think.
Characteristic Feature of Thinking
One characteristic feature of thinking as can be
deducted from its various forms is its subjectivity
since its always viewed as covert and private.
The person who is deep in thoughts is least
overtly active. No immediate behavioural product
may be inferred from his inactivity or doing
nothing.
 John Dewey, the eminent psychologist, philosopher,
and educator, stresses that thinking involves a state of
doubt, perplexity, or felt mental difficulty in which the
thinking originates; it is an act of searching, hunting,
or inquiring to find material to resolve the doubt and to
settle and dispose of the perplexity.
Relational Function and Value of Thinking
The basic function of thinking tends to be
relational in that it is largely concerned with
relationship between objects and events that are
physically non-existing or absent in the
environment.
Convert manipulation of symbols which
represent real objects and events determines the
quality of human thinking.
 For example, people in business realize the buying
and selling of their products just as they thought or
decided it should be, without even seeing or handling
these products.
Symbols of beauty and health excite consumers of
all ages as these presented on various media, such as
television, newspaper, and billboard advertisements.
 therefore, we conclude that indeed, overcoming
the need for an object to be physically present in
order to be related to other objects and events in
consciousness brings to unlimited possibilities of
reward to every individual.
The Basic Elements of
Thinking
Imagery
Thinking consists of imagining or visualizing things: we
form images of situations. Images may be extremely
detailed, in which they are referred to as eidetic imagery
or photographic memory.
On the other hand, most images only represent certain
features of past experience. This means that in general,
the images are abstractions of certain features of
previous experience.
Inner Speech and Movement
While a person is thinking, small movements can be
recorded in the vocal mechanism, a variety of responses
take place in muscular responses in the central nervous
system, and even in heart functioning.
Young children count their fingers as they engage in
addition or subtraction exercises, and move their lips as
they read.
 Research in the development of human thinking has
shown that childrens thoughts develop at first through
their actions upon the world.
Adults move their lips to a greater degree when they
try to read faster, when the reading material is difficult
and when there are noises and other environmental
distractions. It appears that inner speech and
movement are aids to understanding. They may not be
necessary but they are helpful in thinking. They only
accompany thought but are not essential to thought.
Conceptual Thinking
The symbolic mediation of abstract thinking takes place
through concepts rather than through concrete images or
movement. Psychology, learning, biology, politics, and so
on are general or abstract things called concepts.
The kind of thinking people do in which concepts are
the mediating processes is called conceptual thinking.
 A concept is a symbolic construction that represents
some common and general feature or attribute of objects.
It is an abstraction of an aspect of a group of objects or
events that is perceived as being common to all the
members of that group.
For example, an assortment of item such as rice, corn,
and wheat, may be grouped together under the label
cereals because they all have the characteristics of that
concept.
 A concept is thus, a symbolic means of integrating
and differentiating our experiences ____ a
fundamental step in higher forms of thinking.
Without this kind of ordering, it would be impossible
for a person to deal with the enormous amount of
stimulations that surround him.
Verbal Thinking
Because human beings have learned to attach word labels
to things and concepts, much of our thinking is verbal
thinking ___ thinking with and about words. Forming
concepts is a pre-condition for most language since the
majority of words are names for concepts.
Young children start learning concepts even before having
the words for them, but in a few years, they know the labels
for all the concepts so far learned.
 For most people, thinking is a verbal matter much
of the time; it involves words as well as concepts for
which the words stand.
Critical Thinking
 Hatcher, 2000, offers what he claims to be a superior
definition of the term critical thinking because some of
the definitions are good but confusing, some are
incomplete, or some are lacking significant elements that
should define the appropriate process of thinking.
1. The definition limits the scope of critical thinking to those
areas where evidences and arguments are appropriate.
2. The definition also indicates that critical thinking can be an
open-ended process.
3. The definition points out that critical thinking must include
the evaluation of alternatives.
4. The evaluation of alternatives must be honest
5. The largest part of the definition indicates the proper
standards for evaluation.
Problem Solving
 A problem is basically a conflict situation in which a
person experiences frustration in achieving a goal. As
Dewey stressed, a state of doubt or difficulty is felt in the
first phase of problem-solving.
To produce thinking, it must be regarded as a problem by
the person himself. He must have a goal he wishes to attain,
one that he will try to think his way toward.
 In chemistry, for example, a student is given a problem to
work on, but he may be at a loss either because of lack of
knowledge or attention to be the important parts of the
problem.
Psychologist study people in problem situations such as
this to gain information about people ___ to describe what
to do when they succeed or fail in any problem-solving
activity.
Steps in Problem Solving
1. Preparation a need or difficulty is experienced and
noted.
2. Incubation the thinker tries to solve the problem but
may not be able to, even after hrs or days of working on
it. He may even give up with his attempts to solve it for a
time, hoping for more success later.
3. Illumination the solution to different problems come
very suddenly at this stage, almost by magic.
4. Evaluation The thinker tests the idea to see if it really
works. If it doesnt, he starts all over again or he
examines if the idea needs only some revision or if the
problem requires much better solution.
 Studies on problem-solving behaviours among
children of high, average, and low IQ reveal that failure
and inefficient problem-solving are experienced more on
children with low IQ, while children of higher IQ use a
logical approach , note and correct mistakes, and verify
solutions and that children of lower IQ makes random or
trial and error approaches to the problem.
The following are individual factors that
influence success in problem-solving:
1. Intelligence the brighter the person is, the better he is at solving
problems.
2. Motivation Curiosity motives and related motives to explore
and manipulate get people into problems and often they become
interested in solving them.
3. Set The way people are used to doing things (habit) produces a
readiness (set) on their part to go about a new problem in a
particular way or style.
4. Functional fixedness Related to set is a tendency to associate a
certain use with a certain object.
- Functional fixedness or the inability to see new uses or
applications of an object or techniques could hinder progress in
solving problems.