3. These words of the Philosopher Rene Descartes
illustrate the importance of thinking.
We exist because we think.

4.  Thinking may be described as mental
processing of information.
 Thinking is done voluntarily or involuntarily.
 Thinking may be in forms of fantasizing,
daydreaming, reasoning and problem-solving.
 Systemic thinking acts as a filter & helps in
separating the important from the unimportant.

5. According to Psychologist Robert Sternberg,
people acquire their thinking styles through
socialization. However, it is also possible to teach
thinking styles.

6. Sternberg’s conceptions of thinking style are
based on following hypothesis:
1) Thinking styles are preferences in the use of
abilities, & not the abilities themselves.
2) A match between styles & abilities creates a
synergy which is more than mere sum of its
parts.
3) The life choices we make should fit styles as
well as abilities.
4) People have profiles of styles, not just a single
style.

7. 5) Styles vary across tasks, situations as well as
across the life span.
6) People differ in the strength of their
preferences and in their stylistic flexibility.
7) Styles are socialized, measurable & teachable.
8) The value of styles may change.
9) Styles are not good or bad – it’s a question of
suitability

9. Our thinking styles help us to carry out three
functions.
1) Legislative Style:
 People with legislative style of thinking like doing things
their own way.
 The legislative style of thinking favors creativity.
 Individuals with this style like activities such as creative
writing, inventing new things, starting new businesses,
etc.

10. 2) Executive Thinking
 Here people prefer the need of guidelines that WHAT to do
and HOW to do.
 This type of thinking is valued in schools and organizations.
 Individuals with this style like activities such as solving well-
defined mathematical problem, applying rules, giving lessons on
others people’s ideas, etc.

11. 3) Judicial Thinking:-
 This type of thinking prefers evaluating rules &
procedures & judging situations. They favor problems
which can be analyzed & evaluated.
 This style of thinking is often not given importance it
deserves.
 Individuals with this style like activities such as
giving opinions, writing critiques, judging people
and their work, etc.

13. Sternberg also distinguished between four
different forms of thinking styles & they
are :-
1) Monarchic Form,
2) Hierarchic Form,
3) Oligarchic Form,
4) Anarchic Form.

15. Sternberg identified 2 levels thinking
Styles :-
1.Global thinking Styles
2.Local thinking Styles

18.  The de Bono Hats system (also known as "Six
Hats" or "Six Thinking Hats") is a thinking tool for
group discussion and individual thinking.
Combined with the idea of parallel thinking which is
associated with it, it provides a means for groups to
think together more effectively, and a means to plan
thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way.
The method is attributed to Dr. Edward de Bono and
is the subject of his book, Six Thinking Hats.

19. 1)Information: (White) - considering purely what
information is available, what are the facts?
2)Emotions (Red) - instinctive gut reaction or
statements of emotional feeling (but not any
justification)
3)Bad points judgment (Black) - logic applied to
identifying flaws or barriers, seeking mismatch
4)Good points judgment (Yellow) - logic applied to
identifying benefits, seeking harmony
5)Creativity (Green) - statements of provocation
and investigation, seeing where a thought goes
6)Thinking (Blue) - thinking about thinking