Culture and Thinking object separately which is called “analytical thinking”. Asian people (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans) think more about the relationship between objects and backgrounds, which is called “holistic thinking”. Fig. .
: When is a Cup a “Cup”? T HE P ROCESSES OF T HINKING So far we have been discussing what we mean by thinking and what is the nature of thinking. We also learnt that thinking uses mental images and concepts as the base. Now we will discuss how thinking proceeds in a particular area: problem solving.
P ROBLEM S OLVING How do we proceed while repairing a broken cycle, or planning a summer tour or patching up a broken friendship? In some cases the solution is reached quickly as in repair of a bicycle based on immediately available cues whereas others are more complex and require time and effort. Problem solving is thinking that is goal-directed. Almost all our day-to- day activities are directed towards a goal.
Here it is important to know that problems are not always in the form of obstacles or hurdles that one faces. It could be any simple activity that you perform to reach a defined goal, for example, preparing a quick snack for your friend who has just arrived at your place. In problem solving there is an initial state (i.e. the problem) and there is an end state (the goal).
These two anchors are connected by means of several steps or mental operations. Table . would clarify your understanding of various steps through which one solves a problem. You can try out the problems given in Activity .
with your friends and observe how they are approaching the problem. You can ask them the steps they follow while solving these problems. Obstacles to Solving Problems Two major obstacles to solving a problem are mental set and lack of motivation. Mental Set Mental set is a tendency of a person to solve problems by following already tried mental operations or steps.