Robert Thomson: The Psychology of Thinking

˝Ever since Aristotle defined man as a 'rational animal' psychologists have attempted to show how it is that men have a capacity, for thinking about themselves and their environment, which other animals have not managed to achieve. in recent years an increased interest has been shown psychologists in the problem of describing and explaining the nature of thought. Indeed, one distinguished psychologist has said that the central problem for psychology today is the 3roblem of thought. Not only does this book report some of the recent studies on thinking: it also attempts to evaluate the achievements and limitations of the work which has been carried out. it serves also as a general introduction to several branches of psychological inquiry: it discusses such varied topics as the intelligent behaviour of animals; the formation of a repertory of basic concepts by children; the direct experimental investigation of adult thought processes; the role of learning operations; and imaginative thinking in aesthetic and scientific work.˝