Psychology2016

Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language 271

Watch the Video The Mind Is What the Brain Does

CC

No matter what type, concepts are one of the ways people deal with all the infor-
mation that bombards* their senses every day, allowing them to organize their percep-
tions of the world around them. This organization may take the form of schemas, mental
generalizations about objects, places, events, and people (for example, one’s schema for
“library” would no doubt include books and bookshelves), or scripts, a kind of schema
that involves a familiar sequence of activities (for example, “going to a movie” would
include traveling there, getting the ticket, buying snacks, finding the right theater, etc.).
Concepts not only help people think, but also they are an important tool in problem solving,
a type of thinking that people engage in every day and in many different situations.

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Strategies

7.3 Identify some methods that people use to solve problems and make decisions.

Problem solving is certainly a big part of any college student’s

life. Is there any one “best” way to go about solving a problem?

Think about it as you read on and solve the following: Put a coin in a bottle and then cork
the opening. How can you get the coin out of the bottle without pulling out the cork or
breaking the bottle? (For the solution, see the section on Insight.)
As stated earlier, images and concepts are mental tools that can be used to solve
problems and make decisions. For the preceding problem, you are probably trying to
create an image of the bottle with a coin in it. Problem solving occurs when a goal must
be reached by thinking and behaving in certain ways. Problems range from figuring out
how to cut a recipe in half to understanding complex mathematical proofs to deciding
what to major in at college. Problem solving is one aspect of decision making, or iden-
tifying, evaluating, and choosing among several alternatives. There are several different
ways in which people can think in order to solve problems.

TRIAL AND ERROR (MECHANICAL SOLUTIONS) One method is to use trial and error,
also known as a mechanical solution. Trial and error refers to trying one solution after

This child may try one piece after another

until finding the piece that fits. This is an

example of trial-and-error learning.

problem solving
process of cognition that occurs when
a goal must be reached by thinking
and behaving in certain ways.
decision making
process of cognition that involves
identifying, evaluating, and choosing
among several alternatives.
trial and error (mechanical
solution)
problem-solving method in which one
possible solution after another is tried
*bombards: attacks again and again. until a successful one is found.