Welcome to Class 11 Psychology, Chapter 7, an exciting exploration into the world of thinking! This chapter, offered through WitKnowLearn, is your gateway to understanding one of the most complex and fascinating aspects of human psychology.

In Chapter 7, we delve deep into the concept of thinking, a process that's at the core of our daily lives. It's not just about solving problems or making decisions; it's about understanding how our mind processes information, forms thoughts, and creates ideas. For students, this chapter is a treasure trove of knowledge, with comprehensive solutions and detailed answers to various questions that make learning both engaging and insightful.

Parents and teachers will find this chapter particularly useful in understanding how young minds develop cognitive skills. You'll discover the different types of thinking, from creative to critical, and learn how these skills are essential in a student's academic and personal growth.

This chapter is more than just a part of the curriculum; it's a journey into the essence of human intellect. By exploring the various facets of thinking, you'll gain a deeper appreciation of how our minds work. With the guidance of WitKnowLearn, you'll not only be prepared for your exams but also equipped with cognitive skills that will benefit you throughout life. Embrace this opportunity to unlock the mysteries of the human mind in Class 11 Psychology, Chapter 7!

Q1. What is a concept? Explain the role of concept in the thinking process.

Ans: Concepts are mental categories for objects and events, which are similar to each other in one or in more than one way.

Role of concept in thinking process:

1. Concept formation helps us in organizing our knowledge so that whenever we access our knowledge we can do it in less time of effort.

2. Concepts used in thinking are neither deal nor unambigous. They are fuzzy. They overlap one another and are poorly defined.

3. To make thinking systematic a prototype is required. A prototype is a best representative member of category.

Q2. Identify obstacles that one may encounter in problem solving.

Ans: 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. Lack of Motivation: Lack of motivation is another obstacle to solving problems. Sometimes people give up easily when they encounter a problem or failure in implementing the first step. Therefore, there is a need to persist in their effort to find a solution.

Q3. Why is divergent thinking important in creative thinking process?

Ans: Divergent thinking: Thinking that meets the criteria of originality, flexibility and inventiveness. It is called as thinking in different directions. Divergent thinking has following ideas of creativity:

1. Fluency: It produces many ideas for a given task or problem. The more ideas a person produce higher his fluency ability.

2. Flexibility: It produces variety in thinking.

3. Originality: It produces ideas that are new and unusual.

Q4. How does reasoning help in solving problems?

Ans: Reasoning helps in problem solving as it is the process of gathering and analysing information to arrive at conclusions. Thus, reasoning helps to arrive at conclusions through certain information. This can be achieved through the following ways:

1. Deductive reasoning: It begins with an assumption that is believed to be true and the conclusion is based on that assumption. Thus, it is reasoning from general to particular.

2. Inductive reasoning: It is based on specific facts and observations. It involves the drawing of a general conclusion based on a particular observation.

Q5. How is language acquired in human beings?

Ans: Both nature and nurture are important in language acquisition. B.F. Skinner- According to B.F. Skinner, a behaviorist we learn language the same way as animals learn to pick keys or press bars. Language development follows learning behavior. Noam Chomsky view- He is a linguist; put forth the innate proposition of development of language. For him the rate of which children acquire words and grammar without being taught cannot be explained only by learning principles. Skinner’s emphasis on learning explains infants acquire the language they hear and how they add new words to their vocabularies. Chomsky’s emphasis on our built in readiness to learn grammar helps explain why children acquire language so readily without direct teaching.

Q6. What are the various barriers to creative thinking?

Ans: The various barriers to creative thinking are:

1. Habitual: The tendency to be overpowered by habits according to a particular think acts as a barrier to creative thinking. It hinders the generation of thought from a fresh perspective.

2. Perceptual: It prevents the formation of novel and original ideas.

3. Motivation: Lack of motivation acts as a barrier for any thought and action.

4. Emotional: Emotions like fear of failure; rejection and negativism lead to negative assumptions and result in incapability to think differently.

5. Cultural: It refers to excessive adherence to traditions, expectations, conformity pressures and stereotypes. Cultural block arises due to the fear of being different, tendency to maintain status quo, social pressure, etc

Q7. Explain the nature of thinking.

Ans: Thinking is a complex mental process involved in manipulating and analyzing information, either collected through the senses from the environment, or stored in memory from past experiences. Such manipulation and analysis occur by means of abstracting, reasoning, imagining, problem solving, judging and decision-making. It is an internal process that can be inferred from overt behavior.

Main features:

1. Thinking is the base of all cognitive activities.

2. It involves manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment.

3. Thinking is mostly goal directed and one desires to reach the goal by planning. Two building blocks of thinking?

Thinking is a complex mental process and people think by means of mental images or concepts. Mental image refers to an image which is a mental representation of a sensor’ experience. In this we actually try to form a visual image of the whole situation. A concept is a mental representation of a category. It refers to a class of objects, ideas, events that share common properties, e.g. When we encounter new social situation, we try to categorise it on the basis of past experience and take action towards such situations.