Transcript THE MIND IN TALK: The Processes of Cognition and Emotion

3112: COMMUNICATION IN
ORGANIZATIONS
THE MIND IN TALK:
The Process of Cognition
Lecture 3b
IP COMMUNICATION:
A REMINDER
2
or more people act together to
create, sustain and manage meanings
 through
the sending and receiving of
messages
 using
socially shared verbal symbols
 Describing those “in the
head”pictures (perceptions)
COGNITION AND
COMMUNICATION
THINKING - WE ALL ATTACH WORDS
TO IMAGES BUT
 DO WE USE MANY WAYS TO NAME
IMAGES OR FEW
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COMPLEX THINKERS OR SIMPLE
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BLACK-WHITE; EITHER-OR THINKING
MANY LEVELS, APPROACHES OR FEW
BUT MOST CRITICALLY:
• CAN WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
INFERENCE AND FACT?
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN REPORTS,
INFERENCES, JUDGMENTS
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REPORTS (DATA):
• STATEMENTS THAT CAN BE VERIFIED OR
DISPROVED
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INFERENCES (ASSUMPTIONS):
• STATEMENTS ABOUT THE UNKNOWN MADE
ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS KNOWN
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JUDGMENTS (CONCLUSIONS):
• EXPRESSES APPROVAL OF DISAPPROVAL
A MODEL OF MENTAL PROCESSES
The
Inference Ladder
Simple, Clear Metaphor For
How The Mind Works
Most
of this
automatic
THE TERM “LADDER OF
INFERENCE” DESCRIBES ONE OF
THE BASIC HABITS OF MIND THAT
CAN GET IN THE WAY OF CLEAR,
RATIONAL THOUGHT AND
COMMUNICATION.
• OUR BELIEFS ARE THE TRUTH
• THE TRUTH IS OBVIOUS
• OUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON REAL DATA
• DATA WE SELECT ARE THE REAL DATA
• WE DECIDE WE HAVE ALL THE DATA WE NEED
I TAKE ACTIONS
BASED ON MY BELIEFS THE REFLEXIVE
Cognition
Perception
I ADAPT BELIEFS
ABOUT THE WORLD
I DRAW CONCLUSIONS -
LOOP
MAKE JUDGEMENTS
I MAKE ASSUMPTIONS BASED
ON THE MEANINGS I ADDED
I ADD MEANINGS
(CULTURAL AND PERSONAL)
(OUR
BELIEFS
AFFECT
WHAT DATA
WE SELECT
NEXT TIME)
I SELECT “DATA” FROM
WHAT I OBSERVE
OBSERVABLE “DATA” AND EXPERIENCES
(AS A VIDEOTAPE RECORDER MIGHT
CAPTURE IT)
THINKING AND THE
MISUSE OF LANGUAGE
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THE UNCALCULATED RISK
FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE WHERE YOU ARE ON INFERENCE
LADDER
ALLNESS
USING “ALWAYS”, “NEVER” SPEAKING AS IF YOUR
STATEMENT IS ALL THERE IS TO SAY ABOUT IT - SWEEPING
CONCLUSION AT TOP OF INFERENCE LADDER
INTENSIONAL ORIENTATION
REACTING TO SOMETHING AS IF ITS NAME/TITLE WERE THE
THING ITSELF - LABELLING LEVEL OF INFERENCE LADDER
THINKING AND THE MISUSE
OF LANGUAGE
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INDISCRIMINATION (STEREOTYPING):
THINKING THAT ALL PEOPLE IN A CATEGORY HAVE IDENTICAL
CHARACTERISTICS - ACHIEVING QUICK CLOSURE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
INFERENCE LADDER
STATIC EVALUATION:
RETAIN EVALUATIONS WITHOUT CHANGE WHILE THE REALITY IS
ALWAYS CHANGING.
NEXT WE ’LL DISCUSS THAT PROCESS OF THE MIND
THAT ENERGIZES AND CAN EVEN DRIVE OUR
THOUGHTS: EMOTIONS