Scribd
Upload
5 views37 pages

Thinking and Problem Solving

The document discusses the nature of thinking and problem-solving, emphasizing that thinking involves the manipulation of information to form concepts and make decisions. It outlines various tools and techniques for enhancing thinking, such as mind mapping and the 'six thinking hats' method, as well as problem-solving strategies like generate-and-test and means-ends analysis. Additionally, it highlights common hurdles in problem-solving, including incomplete representations and lack of resources.

Uploaded by

Adeeba Adeeba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views37 pages

Thinking and Problem Solving

The document discusses the nature of thinking and problem-solving, emphasizing that thinking involves the manipulation of information to form concepts and make decisions. It outlines various tools and techniques for enhancing thinking, such as mind mapping and the 'six thinking hats' method, as well as problem-solving strategies like generate-and-test and means-ends analysis. Additionally, it highlights common hurdles in problem-solving, including incomplete representations and lack of resources.

Uploaded by

Adeeba Adeeba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 37

Thinking and problem solving

Thinking

 The action of using mind to produce ideas, decisions, memories etc.


 It is a complex process which involves manipulation of information as
we form concepts. It also engage in problem solving, reasoning and
making decisions
 Woodworth: “thinking is a mental exploration for finding out the
solution of a problem,
 “going beyond the information given”. Burner
Types of thinking
Tools for developing thinking

 Mind mapping
 Random word generation
 Picture association
 Change perspective
 Get upa and go to
 Six thinking hat
Mind mapping
It never goes out of
fashion.
Taking notes of
every thing that
comes up in mind.
Don’t neglect any
thing.
Generate ideas as
many as possible
Picture association

 Choose a picture and try to make a story.


Change perspective

 Share your ideas with other and get a fresh pair of eye to look at your
work.
 Encourage constructive criticism, you don’t have to take all on board
but it may offer some constructive ways for better work and benifical
observations.
Get up and Go Out

 Boring work often blur our consciousness. We then can think properly.
So if you are bored while doing some thing just leave the work and go
out for hanging.
6 thinking hats
Theories related to thinking

 Information processing theory:


Thinking is like a computer,
involving encoding, storage and
retrieval of information.
 Atkinson and Shiffrin
Dual coding theory
Problem solving
White
Hat
Generate-and-Test Technique
 As the name suggests, it consists of generating possible solutions and then testing them.
 The tests didn’t work for the first four possibilities but did for the fifth it would work,
the cost was reasonable, and the money would get there in time.
 You may have used generate-and-test to solve the problem of listing 10 words that
begin with c that name things to eat or drink. When I worked on this problem, some names came
to mind that sound as if they started with but don’t (for example, ketchup [unless you spell it catsup]
and sarsaparilla), and some that start with c but aren’t edible or drinkable (cable, canoe).
Again, the process used was thinking of possible solutions (generating) and then seeing if
those possibilities met all the criteria (testing).
 Generate-and-test is a technique that loses its effectiveness very
rapidly when there are many possibilities and when there is no
particular guidance for the generation process.
 You might frustrate.
Means–Ends Analysis

 It involves comparing the goal (Summit, New Jersey) with the starting
point (Pomona, California), thinking of possible ways of overcoming
the difference (walking, bicycling, taking a taxi, and so on), and
choosing the best one.
 The selected option (taking a plane) may have certain prerequisite
conditions (for example, being at the airport, with a ticket). If the
preconditions aren’t met, then a sub goal is created (for example,
“How can you get to the airport?”).
 Through the creation of sub goals, the task is broken down into
manageable steps that allow a full solution to be constructed.
Working Backward

 Its user analyzes the goal to determine the last step needed to achieve it, then the next-
to-last step, and so on.
 The solution process usually does not start with the problem solver making a move and
seeing what happens. Instead, even after only a little practice, the usual pattern is to
plan moves in advance, setting up many intermediate goals along the way.
 Of course, it takes a few trials before the problem solver adopts the correct solution; if
the puzzle consists of more than three disks, the participants are unlikely to solve it
with the minimum number of moves on the first few trials
Hurdles in problem solving

 Using Incomplete or Incorrect Representations


 Lack of Problem-Specific Knowledge or Expertise
 Lack of resources
 Mental set

You might also like