Introduction

Thinking is described here as a core, independent subject area in psychology, distinct from the loose, everyday sense in which the word 'think' gets used as a stand-in for remembering ('I can't think of her name'), paying attention ('think about it'), or expressing uncertainty ('I think today my friend will visit me'). In psychology, thinking is treated as a mental activity aimed at solving a problem, drawing inferences, judging certain facts, and deciding or choosing between options. This chapter also examines the nature and characteristics of creative thinking, how it can be developed, and finally looks at how thinking connects to language.

A small child building a tower out of blocks or sand, dismantling it, and building another, while talking through the steps being followed ('not this', 'a little small', 'a tree at the back') and evaluating the result ('nice'), is used as a starting illustration: why does a person talk while thinking, and what is the relationship between language and thought? These questions about the development of language and the language-thought relationship are taken up later in the chapter, after thinking itself, its building blocks, and its various processes have been discussed.