Thinking and Reasoning: A Very Short Introduction
Jonathan St B. T. Evans
Abstract
Thinking and Reasoning: A Very Short Introduction explores cognitive psychological approaches to understanding the nature of thinking and reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. It shows how humans’ unique problem-solving capabilities are hugely dependent on having the imagination to ask the right questions, and the ability to see things from a completely new perspective. Beginning by considering the approaches of the behaviourists and the gestalt psychologists, it moves on to modern explorations of thinking, including hypothetical thinking, conditionals, deduction, rationality, and intuition. Covering the role of past learning, IQ, and cognitive biases, this VSI also discusses the idea that there may be two different ways of thinking, arising from our evolutionary history.
Keywords:
ability,
deduction,
gestalt,
idea,
intuition,
learning,
perspective,
problem solving,
rational,
reasoning,
thinking
Bibliographic Information
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Print Publication Date:
- Sep 2017
- Print ISBN-13:
- 9780198787259
- Published online:
- Sep 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1093/actrade/9780198787259.001.0001
