biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) (03/08/88)
In article <2894@pbhyf.UUCP> rob@pbhyf.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) writes: >In article <44@gollum.Columbia.NCR.COM> rolandi@gollum.UUCP (Walter Rolandi) writes: >+What sort of thinking do people typically do that does not involve language? > >I wouldn't know how to call the sorts of thinking I do which do not involve >language. Language does not give me very good ways of labeling them, so >they're hard to talk about. The standard example of non-linguistic problem solving is the following (forgive me my English): Suppose a dog carrying a stick enters a fence of inter-spaced vertical poles. How does he get through the fence? Almost everybody solves this visually, even if the problem is given verbally. I suppose most spacial problems (moving the piano to the second floor..) fall in the category you ask for. -- Biep. (biep@cs.vu.nl via mcvax) As the NSA is now skipping last lines of articles, let's discuss our anti-american conspiracy over here.
morus@netmbx.UUCP (Thomas M.) (03/11/88)
In article <1002@klipper.cs.vu.nl> biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) writes: >In article <2894@pbhyf.UUCP> rob@pbhyf.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) writes: >>In article <44@gollum.Columbia.NCR.COM> rolandi@gollum.UUCP (Walter Rolandi) writes: >>+What sort of thinking do people typically do that does not involve language? > >The standard example of non-linguistic problem solving is the following >Suppose a dog carrying a stick enters a fence of inter-spaced vertical >poles. How does he get through the fence? > >Almost everybody solves this visually, even if the problem is given >verbally. I suppose most spacial problems (moving the piano to the >second floor..) fall in the category you ask for. There's no need to restrict thinking to just a handful of senses. Consider "thinking" (which seems not to be the right label any more) about a new meal you want to create or alter. You most definitely try to "taste" the components of the meal and try to configure alternative spices etc. Another would be choosing a perfum for your spouse - the olfactoric sense seems to be very important. You might "think" including feelings of surfaces (stone, sand, grass), temperatures, "wetness" etc. "Verbal thinking" seems to be only a small fraction of "real thinking" - or what do you think? Thomas Muhr. -- @(^o^)@ @(^x^)@ @(^.^)@ @(^_^)@ @(*o*)@ @('o`)@ @(`!')@ @(^o^)@ @ Thomas Muhr Tel.: (Germany) 030 - 87 41 62 (voice!) @ @ NET-ADRESS: muhrth@db0tui11.bitnet or morus@netmbx.UUCP @ @ BTX: 030874162 @