Psychology 5 Marks Question

Thinking cannot take place without language. Benjamin Lee Whorf was of the view that language determines the contents of thought. This view is known as linguistic relativity hypothesis. In its strong version, this hypothesis holds what and how individuals can possibly think is determined by the end linguistic categories they use (linguistic determinism). Experimental evidence, however, maintains that it is possible to have the same level or quality of thoughts in all languages depending upon the availability of linguistic categories and structures. Some thoughts may be easier in one language compared to another.

Both nature and nurture are important in language acquisition.B.F. Skinner- According to B.F. Skinner, a behaviorist we learn language the same way as animals learn to pick keys or press bars. Language development follows learning behavior.
Noam Chomsky view- He is a linguist; put forth the innate proposition of development of language. For him the rate of which children acquire words and grammar without being taught cannot be explained only by learning principles.
Skinner’s emphasis on learning explains infants acquire the language they hear and how they add new words to their vocabularies. Chomsky’s emphasis on our built in readiness to learn grammar helps explain why children acquire language so readily without direct teaching.

The various barriers to creative thinking are:

1. Habitual: The tendency to be overpowered by habits according to a particular think acts as a barrier to creative thinking. It hinders the generation of thought from a fresh perspective.
2. Perceptual: It prevents the formation of novel and original ideas.
3. Motivation: Lack of motivation acts as a barrier for any thought and action.
4. Emotional: Emotions like fear of failure; rejection and negativism lead to negative assumptions and result in incapability to think differently.
5. Cultural: It refers to excessive adherence to traditions, expectations, conformity pressures and stereotypes. Cultural block arises due to the fear of being different, tendency to maintain status quo, social pressure, etc.

Thinking is a complex mental process involved in manipulating and analyzing information, either collected through the senses from the environment, or stored in memory from past experiences.Such manipulation and analysis occur by means of abstracting, reasoning, imagining, problem solving, judging and decision-making. It is an internal process that can be inferred from overt behavior.
Main features:

1. Thinking is the base of all cognitive activities.
2. It involves manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment.
3. Thinking is mostly goal directed and one desires to reach the goal by planning. Two building blocks of thinking?

• Thinking is a complex mental process and people think by means of mental images or concepts.
• Mental image refers to an image which is a mental representation of a sensor’ experience. In this we actually try to form a visual image of the whole situation.
• A concept is a mental representation of a category. It refers to a class of objects, ideas, events that share common properties, e.g. When we encounter new social situation, we try to categorise it on the basis of past experience and take action towards such situations.

Strategies to enhance memory:

1. Originality: Originality can be developed by practicing fluency, flexibility, habit of associative thinking, exploring linkages, and fusing distinct or remote idea.
2. Use of Imagination: Engaging more frequently in activities which require use of imagination and original thinking rather than routine work according to interest and hobbies.
3. Not to accept initial ideas: Never accepting the first ideas or solution. Many ideas die because we reject them thinking that the idea might be a silly idea i.e. we have to first generate a number of possible ideas or solutions, then select the best from among them.
4. Getting feedback: Getting a feedback on the solutions we decide one from others who are less personally involved in the task.
5. Chance to Incubate: Giving ideas the chance to incubate. Allowing time for incubation between production of ideas and the stage of evaluation of ideas may bring in the ‘Aha!’ experience.
6. Diagram thinking: Sometimes ideas cluster like branches of a tree. It is useful to diagram our thinking so that we can follow each possible branch to its completion.
7. Developing independent thinking: Developing independent thinking in making judgments, figuring out things without any help or resources.
8. Self confident: To be self-confident and positive. Never undermine to your creative potential to experience the joy of your creation.