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Thinking
Thinking affects our language, which in turn affects our thoughts. Linguist Benjamin Whorf
proposed a radical hypothesis that our language guides and determines our thinking.
He thought that different languages cause people to view the world quite differently. Some
words do not translate into other languages. In support of his idea, people who speak more
than one language frequently report a different sense of themselves depending on the
language they are speaking at the time. His linguistic relativity hypothesishas largely been
discredited by empirical research. Rather than language determining what we can perceive,
a more likely hypothesis is that the objects and events in our environment determine the
words that become a part of our language.
Do you ever think about how you solve problems to attain goals? If so, you engage in
metacognition,thinking about how you think. We usually manipulate concepts to solve prob-
lems. Concepts enable us to generalize, associate experiences and objects, access memories,
and know how to react to specific experiences.Problem Solving
How do we solve problems? Most problem-solving tasks involve a series of steps. Typically,
we first identify that we have a problem. Next we generate problem-solving strategies. These
can include using an algorithm or a heuristic, or breaking the problem into smaller prob-
lems, developing subgoalsthat move us toward the solution. An algorithmis a problem-
solving strategy that involves a slow, step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution to
many types of problems. Although we will eventually solve the problem correctly using an
algorithm, we usually want to solve problems quickly and employ heuristicsor mental
shortcuts to solve most problems. For example, when we’re not sure how to spell the word
receive, rather than look up the word in the dictionary, we usuallyfollow the heuristic “I
before E, except after C, or when sounded like ‘ay,’ as in neighbor and weigh.” A heuristic
suggests but does not guarantee a solution to a problem, and can result in incorrect
solutions. Sometimes after trying to find a solution to a problem for a while, the solution
suddenly comes to us. Insightis a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a
problem. For example, after trying to unscramble the letters NEBOTYA to form a word,
you suddenly realize that the word is bayonet. When we don’t have a clue how to solve a
problem, we often start with a trial and error approach.This approach involves trying
possible solutions and discarding those that do not work. If we need a combination lock for
a locker and find an old lock in the drawer, we can try combinations of three numbers that
come to mind, but this can be time consuming and may not lead to a solution. Trial and
error works best when choices are limited. After we have tried to solve a problem, we need
to evaluate the results. How will we decide if we have solved the problem? Using critical
thinking, we think reflectively and evaluate the evidence. We reason by transforming infor-
mation to reach conclusions. Inductive reasoninginvolves reasoning from the specific to the
general, forming concepts about all members of a category based on some members, which is
often correct but may be wrong if the members we have chosen do not fairly represent all of
the members. Deductive reasoning involves reasoning from the general to the specific.
Deductions are logically correct and lead to good answers when the initial rules or assump-
tions are true. Have we attained our goal? Over time, we may profit from rethinking and
redefining problems and solutions.Obstacles to Problem Solving
Sometimes we are unsuccessful at solving a problem; we cannot attain our goal. What
hinders our ability to solve the problem? Obstacles to problem solving and biases in reasoningCognition ❮ 135