3. THE THINKING PROCESS.
It is claimed that think comes from the same root as thick. From this one would conclude that the process of thinking is virtually a process of thickening. Surely as one thinks he enriches or thickens his knowledge. As one thinks percepts into concepts and concepts into judgments he makes richer in meaning the various notions concerned. Thinking is largely a matter of pressing many into one: of linking together the disconnected fragments of the conscious field.
DEFINITION:
Thinking is the deliberative process of affirming or denying connections.
The same idea may be expressed in a variety of ways as the following indicate.
(1) “Thinking is the conscious adjustment of a means to an end in problematic situations.” Miller.
(2) “To think is to designate an object through a mark or attribute or what is the same thing, to determine a subject through a predicate.” Bowen.
(3) “Thought is the comprehension of a thing under a general notion or attribute.” Wm. Hamilton.
(4) “To think is to make clear through concepts the perceived objects.” Dressler.
In the foregoing definitions it is implied that thinking is a connecting or thickening process. In all forms ofthinking from the simplest to the most complex the knowing mind hunts for some basis of connection and having found it thinks the relationship into a unified whole.
The thinking process is the digestive process of the mind. Much as the digestive organs assimilate the food stuff of the physical world, so the thinking organ assimilates the food stuff of the mental world.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE THINKING PROCESS:
(1) The child is unable to explain the meaning of “hocus-pocus” as it occurs in the question, “What hocus-pocus is this?” The child mind is unable to establish any connection between the word and its real meaning. In short, is unable to think into it a meaning; it therefore becomes necessary for the teacher to establish some basis of connection and this he does by suggesting nonsense as a synonym.
(2) The teacher holds before the class an Egyptian house god and asks, “What is it?” After a moment of hesitation some child who has seen pictures of “his satanic majesty” avers that the object is a “little devil.” Thus has a connection been established between the idol and pictures of satan.
(3) John is unable to solve the following problem as he can discern no connection between the data given and the data required. Problem. 3⁄4 of my salary is $900, what is my salary?
Data. Given: 3⁄4 of salary = $900.
Required: 4⁄4 of salary = ?
In order that John may think a solution the teacher must lead him to see some connection between 3⁄4 and 4⁄4. With this in mind the form of the data is changed to
Given: 3-fourths = $900
Required: 4-fourths = ?
or
Given: 3 parts = $900
Required: 4 parts = ?
John now notes that 4 parts is 4⁄3 times 3 parts and consequently writes 4⁄3 of $900, which is $1,200 as the answer. Or he may find the value of 1 part and then of 4 parts.