Thinking & Intelligence

Fact or Fiction?• In general, people underestimate how much they really know.• It takes less compelling evidence to change our beliefs than it did

to create them in the first place.• Only human beings seem capable of insight (the sudden

realization of a problem’s solution)• In general, people with high intelligence scores are more creative

than people with low intelligence scores.• Among the intellectually challenged, males outnumber females

by near 50%.• As adopted children grow older, their intelligence scores become

more similar to those of their biological parents than to those of their adoptive parents.

• The SAT is a much better predictor of the college performance of white students than it is of blacks.

What is Thinking?

Thinking is the mental expression of a problem or situation-

If the brain is the computer then the thinking is the program-

Unscramble….

SPLOYOCHYG

Homo Sapiens= Wise humansWhy are we so smart?

• Images & Concepts• Reasoning• Problem Solving• Form Judgments• Think Creatively

We think in images…

• 97% of all people have visual images of thought.

• 92% have auditory images of thought.

• 50% Have images of touch, taste, smell & pain.

Images

Help us Understand verbal instructions

Help us think about our goals

Help us choose what clothes to wear

Help us arrange furniture

You are in a barn….

We think in Concepts (mental groups)

Human brain has a built-in capacity to group objects, events and people with similar characteristics…

Does it sounds like schema? (Piaget)

Prototype: best example of a concept….

Simple concepts:TreeFloor coveringDinosaurJobAthletePresidentCarFlowerBookBallHouseStore

Concept Map

We run into trouble when…

Our information doesn’t match our concept

Reasoning Drawing conclusions based on information

Sources of Error………• Mood• Belief perseverance • Passive learning• Confirmation bias

Which parent will you deny custody to?

Imagine that you serve on the jury of an only-child custody case following a relatively messy divorce. The facts of the case are complicated by ambiguous economic, social and emotional considerations and you decide to base your decision entirely on the following few observations.

Parent A, who has an average income, average health, average working hours, a reasonable relationship with the child and a relatively stable social life.OrParent B, who has an above income, minor health problems, lots of work-related travel, a very close relationship with the child and an extremely active social life.

Reasoning..

Sources of strength• Mindfulness= “Flexible

state of mind in which we are actively engaged in the present.” Langer

• Recognizing that there is sometimes more than one good answer.

Problem Solving…

• Trial & Error (until something works!)• Rote (learned set of rules)• Insight (sudden realization)• Deep understanding of a problem (Dunker)• Heuristics (rule of thumb)• Algorithm (step-by-step procedure:

guarantees a solution)• Framing (how information is presented)

Disease question…

Barriers to problem solving

• Mental set• Rigidity• Functional fixedness• Political correctness• Faulty concepts• Cultural barriers

Creativity= A way of problem solving that generates unique and valuable contributions

• Fluency= # of ideas• Flexibility= Shift

from one idea to another

• Originality=How unusual/novel are ideas

What makes a person creative?

• Small positive relationship between IQ and creativity.• Open to new experiences.• Challenges assumptions.• New ideas from existing knowledge.

Brainstorming

• Define the problem broadly• What information do you have? • What don’t you know?• Allow time for processing• Seek varied input• Take some risk• ALL ideas are worthwhile!

Is there a link between creativity and psychiatric illness?