Analytical Thinking

&
Problem Solving
 Sequence of Topics
 Introduction
 Creative Problem Solving
 Critical Thinking- Attitude
 Characteristics of a Good Thinker
 Levels of Thinking
 Problem Solving Methods and Models
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving
 Exercise Questions
 Introduction

 Intelligence is the ability to comprehend; to

understand and profit from experience
 Intelligence equals Good Thinking Skills
 Thinking is the operating skill with which
intelligence acts upon experience for a purpose
 Thinking is the sum of operating skill,
intelligence and experience
 Analytical thinking is basically a problem
solving approach
 Introduction

 Relies on equations rather than trial and error

 We follow the PMI approach
 PMI refers to gathering of Plus or good points,
Minus or bad points and Interesting points
 Requires two or three minutes to deliberately
think through a problem or situation
 We find a suitable solution
 Creative Problem Solving

 Way of solving problems through following a

step-by-step process
 Recognize the problem
 Define the problem
 Gather ideas or data
 Rank ideas
 Test the ideas
 Draw conclusions
 Evaluate conclusions
 Critical Thinking- Attitude

 Term used to refer to those kinds of mental

activity that are clear, precise, and purposeful
 Typically associated with
 Solving complex real world problems
 Generating multiple (or creative) solutions to a
problem
 Drawing inferences
 Synthesizing and integrating information
 Distinguishing between fact and opinion
 Estimating potential outcomes
 Critical Thinking- Attitude

 Process of evaluating the quality of one's own

thinking
 Attitude is the way of thinking, behaving,
feeling, etc. of a person in particular events
 In critical thinking attitude of a person plays a
major role
 “Attitudes plus Action equals Success”
 The Attitudes

 Greet problems as challenges and not as threats

 Tolerate uncertainty
 Engage in self-evaluation and criticism
 Engage in divergent thinking
 Persevere
 Systematically and deliberately approach task
 Are Flexible
 The Actions

 Brainstorm and search all possibilities

 Attend to details
 Set plans of action
 Question continuously
 Check for accuracy
 Break problems into pars
 Avoid Guessing
 Characteristics of a Good Thinker

 Dr Edward de Bono from

Malta
 Had a major impact on the way
we think
 He could be said to be the best
known thinker internationally
 He has carried out
characterization of a good
thinker
 DeBono’s Characterization of a Good
Thinker
 Confident in his thinking
 In control of his thinking
 Has clear idea of what he wants to do
 Has clear focus and broad view of the situation
 Values wisdom over cleverness
 Likes thinking even when it isn’t particularly
successful
 Confident and decisive but humble
 DeBono’s Characterization of a Good
Thinker
 Robust in thought but practical where this is
demanded
 Doesn’t slip in over-intellectualization, fault-
finding or waste time in uncertainty
 Able to differentiate his progress after thinking
 Practices and observes thinking
 Levels of Thinking

 Knowledge
 Comprehension
 Application
 Analysis
 Synthesis
 Evaluation
 Problem Solving Methods and Models

 Ability to get answers to questions through a

conscious, organized process
 Series of decisions to resolve a situation
 There can be a number of methods to solve a
problem
 Selecting a problem solving method

 Apply already-learned concepts

 Only use principles, definitions, equations,
theories, and laws
 Apply the newly-learned concepts from the
passage as and when appropriate
 Watch for consistency in units and conventions,
 Always start from the given data
 Selecting a problem solving method

 Use relevant facts

 Use proportional reasoning
 Evaluate designs, methods, phenomena, and
their effects
 Do not get persuaded by the writer’s arguments
 May not require any mathematical operations to
solve
 Only analytical/logical reasoning will suffice
 Selecting a problem solving method

 Integrated reasoning in looking at

 Pieces of evidence
 Parts of instruments
 Steps in procedures
 Various actions in phenomena
 Evaluate and interpret particular perspectives
 Technical views
 Opinions of scientists
 Selecting a problem solving method
 Always try to get the answer in the form
presented, especially in data analysis problems
 Organize and interpret your data so it is directly
linked to the format of the answers presented
 Learn how to test the responses against your
answer
 Make sure to follow basic logic
 Pick up various strategies and approaches to
solve the problem in any order
 Well connected
 Sequential in solving the problem.
 Problem Solving Model

 Use your own experience or similar situation to

help you mentally see the given information
 Actually create a tough sketch of the information
 Mark inner problem cues which link new
information with known concepts
 Actually create a rough sketch of the information
 Try to condense the information in the question
as much as possible
 Problem Solving Model

 Isolate and examine the limitations and

assumptions in the question stem
 Select the best problem solving method for the
question
 Examine whether or not your answer makes
sense
 Few Problems with Solving Models

 Problem-1
 Cathy knows French and German. Sandra knows
Swedish and Russian. Cindy knows Spanish and
French. Paula knows German and Swedish. If French is
easier than German, Russian harder than Swedish,
German easier than Swedish, and Spanish is easier
than French, which girl knows the most difficult
language?
How to solve it?
 Make a Diagram
 Few Problems with Solving Models
 Problem-2
 Paula, Joanne, and Mary own a total of 16 dogs,
among which are 3 poodles, twice as many cocker
spaniels, and the remainder German Shepherds and
collies. Joanne despises poodles and collies, but owns
4 cocker spaniels and 2 German Shepherds, giving
her a total of 6 dogs. Paula owns 1 poodle and only 2
other dogs, both German Shepherds. Mary owns 3
collies and several other dogs. What other dogs and
how many of each does Mary own?
How to solve it?
 Make a Chart
 Few Problems with Solving Models
 Problem-3
 You are facing east, you make an about-face, and
then you turn left. Which direction is now on your
left?
How to solve it?
 Go through the actions
 Few Problems with Solving Models

 Problem-4
 Belvedere Street is parallel to St. Anthony Street.
Davidson is perpendicular to River Street. River Street
is parallel to St. Anthony Street. Is Davidson Street
parallel or perpendicular to Belvedere?
 How to solve it?
 Draw a picture
 Few Problems with Solving Models
 Problem-5
 On a certain day, I ate lunch at Tommy’s, took out
two books from the library (‘The Sea Wolf’ and
‘Martin Eden’, both by Jack London), visited the
museum and had a cavity filled. Tommy’s is closed on
Wednesday, the library is closed on weekends, the
museum is only open Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, and my dentist has office hours Tuesday,
Friday, and Saturday. On which day of the week did I
do all these things?
 How to solve it?
 Write it out
 Few Problems with Solving Models
 Problem-6
 The government wants to contact all druggists, all
gun store owners, and all parents in a town. How
many people must be contacted, using these
statistics?
 10 Druggists, 5 Gun Store owners, 3000 Parents, No
Druggist who own gun stores, 7 Druggists who are parents
and 3 Gun store owners who are parents
 How to solve it?
 Use a Venn Diagram
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 1. Inaccuracy in Reading
 Reading material without concentrating strongly on
the meaning
 Didn’t constantly ask, “Do I understand that
completely?”
 Reading material too rapidly; at the expense of
comprehension
 Misreading one or more words; not careful enough
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 1. Inaccuracy in Reading
 Missing one or more facts or ideas; not careful
enough
 Not spending enough time rereading a difficult
section to clarify it meaning
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 2. Inaccuracy in Thinking
 Not placing a constant high premium on accuracy
 Performing operations with out sufficient care or
observation
 Interpreting words or performing operations
inconsistently
 Not checking the correctness of an answer or
conclusion
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 2. Inaccuracy in Thinking
 Not checking the appropriateness of a formula or
procedure before utilizing it
 Working too rapidly
 Visualizing a description or relationship inaccurately
 Drawing a conclusion from the middle of a problem
rather than reading it through and giving it
sufficient thought
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 3. Weakness in Problem Analysis: Inactiveness

 Not breaking a complex problem into parts
 Not drawing upon prior knowledge and experience
in trying to make sense of ideas which were unclear
 Skipping unfamiliar words or phrases, rather than
trying to gain good understanding through context
 Not translating an unclear word or phrase into one’s
own words
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 3. Weakness in Problem Analysis: Inactiveness

 Not breaking a complex problem into parts
 Not drawing upon prior knowledge and experience
in trying to make sense of ideas which were unclear
 Skipping unfamiliar words or phrases, rather than
trying to gain good understanding through context
 Not translating an unclear word or phrase into one’s
own words
 Not using a dictionary when necessary
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 3. Weakness in Problem Analysis: Inactiveness

 Not actively constructing (mentally or on paper) a
representation of ideas described in the text
 Not evaluating a solution or interpretation in terms
of its reasonableness
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 4. Lack of Perseverance
 Attempt to solve the problem through reasoning
because of lack of confidence in one’s ability to deal
with this type of problem
 Choosing to answer based on only a superficial
consideration of the problem
 Solving the problem in a mechanical manner,
without much thought
 Reasoning the problem part way through, then
giving up and jumping to a conclusion
 Shortcomings during Problem Solving

 5. Failure to Think Aloud

 Not vocalizing one’s thinking in sufficient detail
while working the problem
 Exercise Questions

 Question 1
 You have only an 8-liter jug and a 3-liter jug
 Both containers are unmarked
 You need exactly 4 liters of water
 How can you get it, if a water faucet is handy?
 Exercise Questions

 Question 2
 Three handsome geniuses all wanted to marry the beautiful
heiress. The wealthy father told them, “I have three red hats
and two white hats. I will blindfold all of you then choose
three of the five hats to put on your heads. After the hats are
on your heads, I will take off your blindfolds. The first man to
tell me the color of his own hat without looking at it will marry
the heiress.”
 The father did as he had said. The man said he couldn’t tell
the color of his hat. The second man said he couldn’t tell,
either. But the third man, who was blind, correctly told the
color of his hat.
 What color was it, and how did he know?
Thank You