The Cognitive Process

“To be a real philosopher all that is necessary 
is to hate someone else’s type of thinking.” 
William James – Philosopher

How smart we are, what quality of information we have access to, and the skills and experience we have, will all contribute to the quality of our thinking.   ‘Smart’ is better understoor by looking at three parts. See below: 
  • Intelligence

    Once we are adult our intelligence is pretty much a constant. However an understanding of intelligence can help us to make good decisions.

    The obvious and most important point is to ensure that other intelligent people are involved in our decision-making process. Two heads really are better than one. We should  look at thinking styles and intelligence to ensure that a thinking team is balanced for maximum effectiveness. 

    We can look at each individuals Intellectual Quotient [IQ], Emotional Quotiant [EQ], and their  capabilities in Risk Assessment. 

    Of course technology augmented intelligence is also an important consideration, and becoming more so.

  • Thinking Style

    Scepticism about psychometric testing is partly justified. They are useful, but not quite as useful as they are made out to be. The vast majority of these tests are based on a set of well understood, and helpful, standard psychological types defined by Karl Jung and his followers. However, the premise that a person’s default thinking style is consistent across different circumstances is still contested by the experts. Fortunately however, the tests are usually enough to give us a good indicator of cognitive style, which can be used to inform and to guide Good Thinking both individually and in teams.

    The default is to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Test [MBTI] - it is well designed and very well known. 

  • Creativity

    The distinction between the innovative and adaptive creative styles was defined by the British Psychologist Dr M.J. Kirton, who developed A-I Theory in the late 1970s. The key achievement in Dr Kirton’s approach was the separation of preferred creative style both from intellectual capability and from default thinking style.  


    Most people are a mix of the two creative styles with a bias to either Innovator or Adapter. 


    We can all change our creative mode in response to the problem to be addressed. However, we all have a preference. If that preference is strong, we can be that guy with the nice big hammer who sees every problem as a nail.


    Find out if you fit naturally with the Adaptor Dogs or Innovator Catz here.  

Good Thinking is delivered by all three components of the cognitive process. No matter how intelligent you are, your thinking style and the type of creative thinking you are using are the difference between Good and Bad Thinking. 

Understanding your natural thinking style, and knowing how to exploit other styles, can produce better thinking. It is often faster and more effective than sticking to what you feel most comfortable with. 

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: 
First by reflection, which is noblest; 
Second by imitation, which is easiest; 
Third by experience, which is bitterest.”
Confucious – Philosopher