thought-processes
How minds work
Thought-processes are the mental operations involved in reasoning, remembering, imagining, and problem-solving—the internal workings of cognition.
The term usually appears when examining how someone arrives at conclusions or decisions: Her thought-processes were methodical and deliberate.
Psychologists study thought-processes to understand how people learn, judge, and err.
Scrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-reflectionExamining one's own mind
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
mindfulness · soul-searching · self-scrutiny · self-questioning · self-discovery · self-analysis · journaling · metacognition
Generating many ideas freely
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- ideationForming mental concepts
- innovationCreating something original
originality · ingenuity · invention · conceptualization · visualization · fantasy · daydreaming · improvisation
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- rationaleStated basis for action
argumentation · abstraction · premise · conclusion · validity · fallacy · if-then · problem-solving
Thinking deeply about something
- weighingMeasuring mass or heft
- consideringMentally evaluating something
- reflectingBouncing back light
- contemplatingThinking deeply about
deciding · judging · evaluating · debating · resolving · determining · cogitating · musing
Determining worth or quality
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- examinationMethodical assessment or review
investigation · breakdown · dissection · classification · synthesis · decomposition · troubleshooting · critique
Formulating tactical approaches
- forecastingEstimating future conditions
- schedulingAssigning times to events
- prioritizationRanking by importance
- outliningTracing outer contours
preparation · sequencing · goal-setting · anticipating · organizing · forward-thinking · projecting · envisioning
self-examination
Scrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-reflectionExamining one's own mind
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
meditation · mindfulness · soul-searching · self-scrutiny · self-questioning · self-discovery · self-analysis · journaling · metacognition · self-assessment
brainstorming
Generating many ideas freely
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- ideationForming mental concepts
innovation · originality · ingenuity · invention · conceptualization · visualization · fantasy · daydreaming · improvisation · experimentation
logic
Science of valid reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
rationale · argumentation · abstraction · premise · conclusion · validity · fallacy · if-then · problem-solving · rationalization
pondering
Thinking deeply about something
- weighingMeasuring mass or heft
- consideringMentally evaluating something
- reflectingBouncing back light
contemplating · deciding · judging · evaluating · debating · resolving · determining · cogitating · musing · rumination
evaluation
Determining worth or quality
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
examination · investigation · breakdown · dissection · classification · synthesis · decomposition · troubleshooting · critique · appraisal
strategizing
Formulating tactical approaches
- forecastingEstimating future conditions
- schedulingAssigning times to events
- prioritizationRanking by importance
outlining · preparation · sequencing · goal-setting · anticipating · organizing · forward-thinking · projecting · envisioning · calculating
thought-processesgut feelings
Intuitive sense without reasoning
emotions · feelings · emotional responses · instincts · impulses
thought-processesbodily functions
Organism's automatic life operations
bodily processes · physiological processes · manual labor · physical exertion
thought-processesreflexes
Automatic physical responses
instincts · conditioned responses · muscle memory · intuition · knee-jerk reactions
thought, process, thoughts, processes, thoughtful, thoughtfully, thoughtfulness, thoughtless, thoughtlessly