Notes on Thinking Don’t just sit there… Think Something!

Critical Thinking  Critical thinking refers to conscious application of contemplation and deliberation. The essence of critical thinking is looking beyond the obvious.

Vocabulary  Conceptualization – the process by which one has ideas.  Fluency of thought – refers to the number of concepts one produces in a given length of time.  Flexibility of thought – refers to the diversity of the ideas generated.

Vocabulary  Paradigm – pattern for thinking; help learning or become obsolete.  Conceptual Blocks – refers to mental walls which block the problem-solver from correctly perceiving a problem or conceiving its solution.

Critical thinking involves four steps:  1. Analysis – break ideas into their component parts so that you can consider them separately.  2. Synthesis – make connections among different ideas or components seeking relationships and interactions with which to tie them together.

Critical thinking involves four steps:  3. Assessment – examine the quality of the ideas for soundness of reasoning and logic.  4. Assimilation – incorporate the ideas into personal knowledge base to produce new and future thinking.

Two main phases in the development of new ideas:  1.Imaginative phase – motto “Thinking something different”

Two main phases in the development of new ideas:  2.Practical phase – motto “Getting something done”

Types of Conceptual Blocks:  1.Perceptual Block – difficulty in comprehending the problem or situation.  difficulty in isolating the problem  tendency to limit the problem area too closely  inability to see the problem from various viewpoints  seeing what you expect to see; stereotyping  saturation: familiarity breeds blindness  failure to utilize all sensory inputs

Types of Conceptual Blocks:  2.Cultural and Environmental Blocks – “learned” responses which block ideas.  cultural taboos: permission/prohibition  social stigma: daydreaming “bad”/logic “good”  distractions: clutter/people/obligations  competition: boss/coworkers/partners/peers  sabotage or lack of support: people/money/time

Types of Conceptual Blocks:  3.Emotional Blocks – ideas limited by feelings.  fear of taking a risk; what are your catastrophic expectations?  no appetite for chaos  judging rather than generating ideas: “Bad-mouthing everyone else’s concepts is in fact a cheap way to attempt to demonstrate your own mental superiority.”  inability to incubate  lack of challenge; problem fails to engage interest  excessive zeal; over-motivation to succeed quickly

Brain-Power Think by Choice, not by Chance!