The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to thought (thinking):
Thought is the object of a mental process called thinking, 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. 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. 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
- 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.
Animal thought
Human thought
Classifications of thought
Creative processes
Decision-making
Erroneous thinking
Emotional intelligence (emotionally based thinking)
Problem solving
Reasoning
Machine thought
Organizational thought
Organizational thought (thinking by organizations)
Aspects of the thinker
Aspects of the thinker which may affect (help or hamper) his or her thinking:
Properties of thought
Fields that study thought
Thought tools and thought research
History of thinking
Nootropics (cognitive enhancers and smart drugs)
Substances that improve mental performance:
Organizational thinking concepts
Teaching methods and skills
Awards related to thinking
Awards for acts of genius
Organizations
- Associations pertaining to thought
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Media
Publications
Books
Periodicals
Television programs
Persons associated with thinking
People notable for their extraordinary ability to think
Scientists in fields that study thought
Scholars of thinking
Related concepts
Awareness and perception
Learning and memory