Glossary / Lexicon

Deutsch: Gedanke / Español: Pensamiento / Português: Pensamento / Français: Pensée / Italiano: Pensiero /

Thought refers to faculty to think, imagine, meditate, reflect, fantasize, or form an opinion.

Thought (also referred to as cognition) refers to the mental process of acquiring and processing information. This includes processes such as perception, attention, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Thought involves both conscious and unconscious mental processes and can be influenced by a person's emotions, memories, and past experiences.

The study of thought and cognition is a central focus of psychology, and researchers in this field have developed many different theories and models to explain how people think and how mental processes work. Some of the key areas of research in the field of cognition include memory, attention, decision-making, language, and intelligence.

Description

In psychology, thought refers to the mental processes involved in the creation, organization, and manipulation of information in the mind. These processes include reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, and planning. Thoughts can be conscious or unconscious, and they can be influenced by emotions, memories, beliefs, and past experiences. Cognitive psychologists study how people think, perceive, and remember information. Thought is essential for understanding human behavior and mental processes.

Application Areas

• Cognitive psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Behavioral psychology
• Therapy and counseling

Treatment and Risks

• Cognitive behavioral therapy for negative thought patterns
• Risks of cognitive distortions leading to anxiety or depression
• Mindfulness techniques to manage intrusive thoughts
• Medication for thought disorders such as schizophrenia

Examples

• Forming a plan to achieve a long-term goal
• Thinking about a past experience to gain insight
• Mentally rehearsing a speech before giving it

Similar Concepts and Synonyms

• Cognition
• Mental processing
• Thinking
• Intellectual activity

Articles with 'Thought' in the title

• Adaptive control of thought (ACT) model of memory: Adaptive control of thought (ACT ) model of memory : Adaptive control of thought (ACT) model of memory is a theory of memory developed by John Anderson that specifies a networked memory comprised of working memory, declarative memory, . . .
• Automatic Thoughts: Automatic Thoughts refer to notions or ideas that occur without effort or choice, which can be dysfunctional, and lead to emotional responses. Automatic thoughts provide data about core beliefs
• Automatic thoughts: Automatic thoughts refer to unreasonable and unquestioned ideas that rule a person's life and lead to depression and anxiety. Other definition: Automatic thoughts refer to ideas so deeply entrenched that the person is not even aware that . . .
• Categories of thought: Categories of thought refer to those innate attributes of the mind that Kant postulated to explain subjective experiences we have that cannot be explained in terms of sensory experience alone, like for example- the experiences of time, . . .
• Concrete operational thought: Concrete operational thought is a term used in Piaget's theory that refers to a stage of Cognitive development in which rules of logic can be applied to observable or manipulable physical relations
• Content of thought: Content of thought refer to the ideas that fill a person's (client's or patient's) mind- the "contents" of the patient's mind (what is going on inside the mind)
• Deductive thought: Deductive thought refers to thought that applies a general set of rules to specific situations, as in the use of the Laws of gravity to predict the behavior of a single falling object
• Dysfunctional thought record: Dysfunctional thought record refers to record completed by the client and provides the client and therapist with a record of the client's automatic thoughts that are related to Dysphoria or Depression
• Intuitive thought: Intuitive thought refers to thinking that makes little or no use of reasoning and logic. Intuitive thought is Piaget’s term for reasoning that is dominated by appearances (or perceptual characteristics of objects and events) rather than . . .
• Malice aforethought: Malice aforethought refers to the Mens rea requirement for murder which consists of the intention to kill with the awareness that there is no right to kill
• Postformal thought: Postformal thought refers to thinking characterized by a recognition that truth varies across situations, that solutions must be realistic to be reasonable, that ambiguity and contradiction are the rule rather than the exception, and that . . .
• Repeated thoughts: Deutsch: Wiederholte Gedanken / Español: Pensamientos repetitivos / Português: Pensamentos repetitivos / Français: Pensées répétitives / Italiano: Pensieri ripetitivi- Repeated thoughts are persistent, recurring thoughts that an . . .
• Thought components: Thought components refer to the part of the mental status examination that looks at the content and the process of thinking. These content include delusions, distortions of body image, hallucinations, obsessions, suicidal or homicidal . . .
• Thought insertion: Thought insertion refers to an irrational belief held by the affected person that thoughts have been purposely placed inside his or her mind by another person
• Thought sampling: Thought sampling refers to a means of obtaining samples of thoughts outside of therapy by asking the client/patient to record thoughts on tape or in a notebook at different intervals
• Thought-stopping: Thought-stopping refer to techniques strategies that involve finding ways to stop intrusive thoughts. It is a cognitive-behavioral method in which the patient learns to stop having anxiety-provoking thoughts
• Thought suppression: Thought suppression refers to the attempt to avoid thinking about something we would just as soon forget
• Downward counterfactual thoughts: Downward counterfactual thoughts are reflections on how past events might have turned out worse.
• Illogical thought: Illogical thought refers to a thought that is intuitive, haphazard, or irrational.
• Thought broadcasting: Thought broadcasting refers to an irrational belief held by the affected person that his or her thoughts can be heard by other people without the use of written or verbal communication
• Thought stopping: Thought stopping refers to a cognitive-behavioral method in which the client (patient) learns to stop having anxiety-provoking thoughts.
• Thought disorder: Thought disorder refers to the disorder of schizophrenia which is indicated by impaired thinking, such as difficulty in understanding and using abstract concepts
• Egocentric thought: Egocentric thought is defined as a thought that is self-centered and fails to consider the viewpoints of others.
• Forethought: Forethought is a term used in Bandura's Social cognitive theory that refers to the ability to anticipate the consequences of one's actions and the actions of others
• Imageless thoughts: Imageless thoughts is a term which according to Külpe refers to the pure mental acts of, for example, judging and doubting, without those acts having any particular referents or images
• Inductive thought: Inductive thought means thinking in which a general rule or principle is gathered from a series of specific examples- for example, inferring the laws of gravity by observing many falling objects
• Negative Automatic Thoughts: Negative Automatic Thoughts are depressing thoughts that come to mind effortlessly in depressed patients.
• Thoughtfulness: Thoughtfulness in the psychology context refers to the quality of being considerate, reflective, and mindful of others' needs, emotions, and circumstances
• Thought-Stopping: Thought-Stopping : Thought-Stopping refers to a behavior modification technique in which critical and independent thinking is discouraged or disallowed

Weblinks

• allerwelt-lexikon.de: 'Gedanke' in the allerwelt-lexikon.de (German)

Summary

Thought in psychology refers to the mental processes involved in reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, and planning. It is essential for understanding human behavior and mental processes, and cognitive psychologists study how people think, perceive, and remember information.

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