Before you ask questions about how you can determine the level of human thinking, you need to understand what it is. Most people take the term "thinking" literally. That is, they believe that behind this word lies a simple meaning - “the ability to think.”
Of course it is. But the term “thinking” also has other variants of understanding, much more complicated, depending on the sphere in which the word is used. For example, the interpretation of its meaning in neuropsychology and philosophy will be different.
What is thinking?
This concept has no unambiguous definition. The most generalized and widespread is the interpretation that defines thinking as a complex mental process, the result of which is the modeling of patterns characteristic of the surrounding world and the construction of conclusions based on axiomatic ideas and provisions.
The concept of thinking is interpreted differently. Among the most requested versions of his definition are the following:
- processinformation processing in the brain;
- establishing and understanding connections with objects of the surrounding reality;
- perception and reflection of objects, events, patterns;
- formation of a personal idea of something outside the brain.
No science gives a specific definition of the concept of thinking. For example, all of the above interpretations of this phenomenon belong to the field of psychology. Nevertheless, all scientists, regardless of their specialization, support the statement that thinking is one of the steps in the process of cognition. It allows you to get, sort and systematize in the brain knowledge about any objects, phenomena, properties, processes and other things that surround a person. Also, with the help of thinking, the mind carries out certain conclusions - this process of mental activity is called inference. It also includes the fruits of various thoughts, the construction of theories about something.
In what forms does thinking manifest itself, what laws does it obey - the area of interest of science, called logic. It also studies the levels of human thinking. Various psychophysiological factors influencing this process are the subject of study in many fields, not only in medicine. However, the priority in the knowledge of the interconnections of thinking and these factors, of course, belongs to psychology.
How long has thinking been studied?
When exactly the study of thinking began, it is impossible to determine. It is likely that for the first time a person thought about what it issuch, when he realized that he was able to think.
The first written evidence of reflections on this topic dates back to antiquity. These are the philosophical works of the thinkers of Ancient Greece, among which the works of Parmenides, Epicurus and Protagoras stand out. The legacy they left formed the basis of many of the works of Aristotle and Pythagoras.
Thought in ancient times about this concept and doctors. The level of thinking and how it is carried out was the subject of study for Hippocrates. In the Roman Empire, Galen paid much attention to this issue. The works of Alexandrian doctors and scientists who lived in ancient times have survived to this day.
What characterizes thinking?
Characterizing the process of thinking factors, of course, quite a lot. However, all the nuances that describe mental activity can be combined into two large groups.
The first group is the characteristics that provide a generalized perception and reflection of the reality surrounding a person, including information. Thinking is carried out by searching or designating specific objects, objects, phenomena. The search turns into a process of awareness, which ends with the transformation of disparate details and elements into a generalized, coherent picture.
The second group of characteristics combines the processes through which mediated understanding or cognition of something is carried out. In simple terms, this is the level of thinking at which the brain perceives not direct information, but indirect or obtained through its ownreasoning. That is, a person judges the nature and properties, the essence of something, without relying on immediate, direct sources.
What kinds of thinking are there?
Modern classification identifies the following types of people's thinking:
- visual-effective;
- shaped;
- abstract-logical;
- subject-specific.
Each of the types of thought process has its own characteristics that distinguish it from others, including the level of thinking.
Vividly effective and figurative forms
The visual-effective form of thinking is typical for very young children, on average it is observed at the age of one and a half to two years. This kind of thought process consists in a combination of cognition and various manipulations of surrounding objects, things, objects. In addition to children, this kind of thinking is characteristic of certain mental illnesses or developmental disabilities. For example, it can accompany dementia. It can also become a consequence of severe brain injuries or prolonged oxygen starvation.
Figurative thinking is characteristic of children of the younger age group, starting from the age of three. However, unlike the visual-effective form, this type may not disappear without a trace, but develop and transform into creative thinking. This process is carried out by direct perception of objects, phenomena, events or information using short-term and operational functions.memory.
Abstract-logical and concrete-subject forms
The abstract-logical type of mental activity is unique, it is inherent only in the human brain. Its essence lies in the fact that the thought process is carried out by categories that do not exist in the surrounding reality, and the construction of logical chains from them. This type of thinking begins to form at the age of 6-7, and it is with this feature of development that the beginning of children's education in schools is connected.
Concrete-objective thinking is a process that occurs in the brain of people who are completely devoid of imagination. In other words, it involves operations exclusively with existing objects, objects, or phenomena. That is, this is the most realistic type of mental activity.
What is the level of thinking?
As a rule, far from psychology, philosophy or other sciences dealing with the human mind, people understand this expression as the degree of development of the thought process. In other words, the higher the level, the smarter the person.
However, from a scientific point of view, the level of development of thinking is completely different. The method of its definition and the concept itself are the subject of study in cognitive psychology. The founder of this trend in psychology, as well as the author of the theory of the division of the thought process into different levels, is Aaron Beck.
In cognitive psychology, thinking is presented in the form of layers, in each of which certain processes occur, which can be related to any of the classificationforms. Between themselves, the layers differ in the organization of the thought process and the degree of its depth.
How are levels of the thought process determined?
Diagnosing the level of thinking and determining the development of the intellect are not the same thing at all. To identify the level that the human brain tends to use when solving a problem, tests, questionnaires, visualization, and much more are used. Of course, the higher the result of the person being tested, the more developed his mental levels.
Specialized tasks and tests are used to determine the level at which one or another form of thinking is located. For example, levels of creative thinking are revealed using Spot the Differences pictures, tasks in which you need to memorize the location and number of graphic objects, and other similar testing techniques.
The greatest importance in modern life is the ability of a person to think logically, to clearly understand the final goals and see the ways to achieve them. To identify such abilities, it is required to determine the level of logical thinking. This is done using a combination of various testing techniques, as well as, if necessary, to identify the levels of other forms of thought processes.
Which methods are most in demand?
Most often, the level of thinking is revealed using the following testing methods:
- remembering;
- identifying an extra link or component;
- continuation of logical construction;
- determining the main element;
- anagrams or puzzles;
- graphic tasks.
As for the names of tasks or tests, there are quite a lot of them, as well as manuals and collections dedicated to them. However, the differences between them are only in the design and number of specific tasks. For example, one test might have a 20-word listening task, while another might have only 10.
