Brainy patterns of thinking

Allen Stairs is teaching people to think twice. Because how a person acts is based on what he or she believes, being able to think critically is extremely important, he says.

Mr. Stairs is challenging the students in his Art of Thinking class, a six-week Smithsonian Resident Associates program, to examine their thought processes.

“If people are thinking badly, they will be taken in by silly claims,” says Mr. Stairs, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland at College Park. “If they are people in positions of influence, it might not only be unfortunate for them, but for a lot of other people as well.”

Thinking — reasoning, creating plans, devising strategies, instituting sound judgment, making decisions, acting out plans and accepting feedback about strategies — can be a complicated practice.

People should be aware of the ways their brains are naturally inclined to make mistakes, Mr. Stairs says. When people are aware, they are more likely to slow down and use techniques from logic and science.

The gambler’s fallacy is an example, he says. If someone keeps trying and trying and fails, it is not necessarily true that the person’s number is “bound” to come up soon. If the process being used is impractical or illogical, a positive result probably will not occur until that person changes his or her actions.

Further, Mr. Stairs suggests that people shouldn’t impose patterns where they don’t exist, such as seeing a “hot streak” in sports games, where people might be likely to bet money.

“If you flip a coin long enough, you will get 10 heads in a row,” Mr. Stairs says. “The fact we detect patterns is a good thing. There are a lot of patterns that are good to detect, but the fact we are so focused on patterns might mean they aren’t there. We can’t simply rewire our brains to stop doing that, but we can become more self-aware, especially in cases where it really matters.”

The single most important thing Mr. Stairs teaches his students is not to believe everything they think, he says.

“A lot of times, people are inclined to not really take a very critical view of their own beliefs,” Mr. Stairs says. “They come by their beliefs without examining them. They never stop to ask themselves what would somebody who doesn’t see things my way have to say about this, especially controversial beliefs.”

Instead of appreciating varying opinions, people tend to look for evidence that confirms their views, he says. He suggests that his students display healthy skepticism.

“Be more modest about the hard questions,” Mr. Stairs says. “Some questions are just hard, and a wise person recognizes that and takes account of it.”

There is a great deal of disagreement about thinking, says William Garmoe, a clinical neuropsychologist who serves as the co-director of the brain-injury program at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Northwest. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology.

“Many people argue that you can strengthen the brain and neuroconnections by doing exercises,” Mr. Garmoe says. “Other equally qualified people are not terribly convinced about whether specific brain exercises improve cognition.”

Some people trying to keep their thinking sharp complete sudoku number puzzles or crossword puzzles or read challenging materials, he says.

Story Continues →