Thinking...

by HEH

:: Thoughts fly and words go on foot. ::

I read a book last month called Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism, by Temple Grandin. She talks about her life as an autistic person, bits of her childhood and growth as an adult. But, as intersting as I usually find biographies, what really caught me about this book was when she tried to explain how she thinks. Like the title implies, she thinks in pictures, but also--in video representations. In her head! It was amazing reading and trying (oh trying!) to understand how this could be possible, let alone normal cognitive functions for someone! Amazing. When presented with a concept needed for a project, she 'sees' in her mind 'videos' and 'pictures' of the thing (whatever it is) flooding her head. They seem to be automatically sorted, regulated, and---AND-- serviced and updated by her own mind.

For example, Temple is an animal scientist. She works as a designer/planner/engineer for making cattle equipment. (In fact, she has designed over one-third of ALL the cattle equipment facilities in the U.S.) If she ever needs to design a new, say, cattle washer system, she has live images and videos stored in her mind that she can bring upon need of recall for all the other facilities that she has built like it. Amazing, huh? But there's more! She claims she can even 'turn' the objects over in her mind, just like a high-tech computer animations program. I think that's astonishing and very cool, of course. (Does she close her eyes whe she visualizes these things or keep them open, I wonder?)

However, besides just marveling in Temple's pure genius abilities, I was wondering about how I think. How do I think, as a 'normal person'? How do you think? In 'pictures' like Temple does? Or in...
Well, what are the other ways we think?

Now, I have not done any further research (i.e. reading books, blogs, or articles one the subject) but I have been mulling it over. Research notes will have to be for a later date. Right now, I think I'll just bang out what I've been thinking, plus some dictionary definitions (because they always help.) Be sure to go look at each of the linked pages; each have some very interesting information & definitions to be read.

Definitions of:

   thought   thinking   pictures   visualize

I believe that I think in words. It seems like the easiest way for me to remember concepts or ideas are seeing them in word form, especially on paper. Also, when I hear something, like the word 'combination', for example, the first thing that happens in my head is I can see the letters, spelling themselves out: "c-o-m-b-i-" etc... This is almost always the case (i.e. 99.999% of the time.)

If someone mentions a name of someone I know {Annie} ...
Or is explaining something {"This is how you would do it..."} ...
Or if I hear a Scripture or quote...

I immediately think of how it spells out, in letters, in my mind.
So funny, but it makes perfect sense to me. And my Daddy apparently; he thinks this way as well. :) Now, this is not the way everyone thinks (obviously). Two of my other siblings claim that they think in visual 'pictures' and or videos. When they hear 'obviously', they may think of the face someone makes when they are saying that "Well, OBviously" to someone, or they may see the word on paper or screen as they last (or first) saw it. That doesn't happen to me, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

Others, like Temple Grandin, visualize concepts, ideas and words as live videos in their minds. Which seems like the 'coolest' way to think, doesn't it? :) However, it is for this very reason --thinking in only visuals-- that can make spelling, writing and communicating with words very difficult for those who think that way. So, take your pick. There are several ways of thinking. :) Whatever way you think has it's strengths and yet it still requires that you compensate for the lack you have in not thinking another way.

(For example, I have a hard time remembering or visualizing what people are saying to me verbally--unless I take the time as they are talking to try and convert the conversations into words in my head. Sometimes this occurs naturally and effortlessly for me; other times, well...those other times are the time when I just couldn't/didn't remember what you said! lol Send me an email, it'll last longer.)

Here are a few articles I read on the subject that are informative & quite interesting in and of themselves.
- Cognitive Structures
-Definition of Cognition
"Conceptual knowledge is needed to classify objects and events in the world. Some aspects of conceptual knowledge are innate or emerge very early in development, while others are acquired through learning and inference."

Now, enough ratting on the subject, and down to business:
How do you think?

P.S.~ Blogger is being ridiculous and unfortunately, I have not been able to comment on any of my blog posts or others'. So, if you commented: I read it! Thank you for commmenting. :)