1. You hear people say:
“Let me think about that”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think so”
“I think I like it”

2. What does it mean to “Think?”

3. Textbook Definition
Academic term
Think (cognition): is a mental activity in the brain when a person is processing information
(processing = organizing & attempting to
understand information and then
communicating that information to
others)

4. One of the basic elements of thought is the idea of a CONCEPT
Concepts
One of the basic elements of thought is the idea of a CONCEPT
a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas or people

5. activity
In a group with 1 – 2 other people write down as many uses of the item I give you as possible. All the uses you came up with represent thinking and coming up with multiple concepts.

6. Concepts simplify our thinking
Chair
High Chair
Dentist Chair
Rocking Chair
Recliner
Desk Chair
Throne
Without concepts, we would need a different name for every person, idea, object, event, etc.

7. We often form concepts by developing prototypes.
a mental image or best example
of a category
Bird – more people quickly agree that “a robin is a bird” than “a penguin is a bird” because a robin more closely resembles our bird prototype

8. activity
In your group, identify a prototype of some sort, then come up with a close example of the prototype and a not-so-close example.