Outline of thought explained

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to thought (thinking):

Thought (also called thinking)  - mental process in which beings form psychological associations and models of the world. Thinking is manipulating information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thought, the act of thinking, produces more thoughts. A thought may be an idea, an image, a sound or even control an emotional feeling.

Nature of thought

Thought (or thinking) can be described as all of the following:

• An activity taking place in a:
  • brain  - organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals (only a few invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain). It is the physical structure associated with the mind.
    • mind  - abstract entity with the cognitive faculties of consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory. Having a mind is a characteristic of living creatures.^{[1] [2]} Activities taking place in a mind are called mental processes or cognitive functions.
  • computer (see below)  - general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. Since a sequence of operations (an algorithm) can be readily changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem.
• An activity of intelligence  - intelligence is the intellectual process of which is marked by cognition, motivation, and self-awareness.^[3] Through intelligence, living creatures possess the cognitive abilities to learn, form concepts, understand, apply logic, and reason, including the capacities to recognize patterns, comprehend ideas, plan, problem solve, make decisions, retaining, and use language to communicate. Intelligence enables living creatures to experience and think.
  • A type of mental process  - something that individuals can do with their minds. Mental processes include perception, memory, thinking, volition, and emotion. Sometimes the term cognitive function is used instead.
• A biological adaptation mechanism^[4]
  • Neural network explanation: Thoughts are created by the summation of neural outputs and connections of which vectors form. These vectors describe the magnitude and direction of the connections and action between neurons. The graphs of these vectors can represent a network of neurons whose connections fire in different ways over time as synapses fire. These large thought vectors in the brain cause other vectors of activity. For example: An input from the environment is received by the neural network. The network changes the magnitude and outputs of individual neurons. The altered network outputs the symbols needed to make sense of the input.

Types of thoughts

Content of thoughts

Types of thought (thinking)

Listed below are types of thought, also known as thinking processes.

Human thought

Decision-making

See main article: Decision-making.

Erroneous thinking

See also: Error and Human error.

Reasoning

Machine thought

See main article: Machine thought and Outline of artificial intelligence.

Organizational thought

Organizational thought (thinking by organizations)

• • • Organizational planning

Aspects of the thinker

Aspects of the thinker which may affect (help or hamper) his or her thinking:

Nootropics (cognitive enhancers and smart drugs)

Substances that improve mental performance:

Organizational thinking concepts

See main article: Organizational studies and Industrial and organizational psychology.

Awards related to thinking

Awards for acts of genius

Organizations

• Associations pertaining to thought
  • • • • • • • s

Media

Publications

Books

• Handbook of Automated Reasoning

Periodicals

• Journal of Automated Reasoning
• Journal of Formalized Reasoning
• Positive Thinking Magazine

Television programs

• Thinkabout (U.S. TV series)

Persons associated with thinking

People notable for their extraordinary ability to think

• Geniuses
  • List of Nobel laureates (see also Nobel Prize)
• Polymaths

Scientists in fields that study thought

• List of cognitive scientists

Scholars of thinking

• Aaron T. Beck
• Barry K. Beyer https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/266659.Barry_K_Beyer
• Edward de Bono
• David D. Burns  - author of and The Feeling Good Handbook. Burns popularized Aaron T. Beck's cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when his book became a best seller during the 1980s.^[5]
• Tony Buzan
• Noam Chomsky
• Albert Ellis
• Howard Gardner
• Eliyahu M. Goldratt
• Douglas Hofstadter
• Ray Kurzweil
• Marvin Minsky
• Richard W. Paul https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/223972.Richard_Paul
• Steven Pinker
• Baruch Spinoza
• Robert Sternberg

Related concepts

• Cognition
• Knowledge
• Multiple intelligences
• Strategy
• Structure
• System
• Ideation

Awareness and perception

See main article: Awareness and Perception.

Learning and memory

See main article: Learning and Memory.

See also

• Artificial intelligence
  • Outline of artificial intelligence
• Human intelligence
  • Outline of human intelligence
• Neuroscience
  • Outline of neuroscience
• Psychology
  • Gestalt psychology (theory of mind)
  • Outline of psychology

Miscellaneous

Thinking

Lists

External links

• The Psychology of Emotions, Feelings and Thoughts, Free Online Book

Notes and References

1. Dictionary.com, "mind": "1. (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.: the processes of the mind. 2. Psychology. the totality of conscious and unconscious mental processes and activities. 3. intellect or understanding, as distinguished from the faculties of feeling and willing; intelligence."
2. Google definition, "mind": "The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness." https://www.google.com/search?q=Mind#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=definition+of+mind&oq=definition+of+mind
3. Book: Tirri, Nokelainen. Measuring Multiple Intelligences and Moral Sensitivities in Education. January 2012. Springer. 978-94-6091-758-5.
4. Web site: Practopoiesis: Or how life fosters a mind. arXiv:1402.5332 [q-bio.NC].]. Danko Nikolić. 2014.
5. Web site: History of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists. March 8, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101126050512/http://www.nacbt.org/historyofcbt.htm. November 26, 2010.