McGraw-Hill OnlineMcGraw-Hill Higher EducationLearning Center
Student Center | Instructor Center | Information Center | Home
Career Opportunities
Glossary
Internet Guide
Study Skills Primer
Statistics Primer
Grade Summit
PowerWeb
Learning Objectives
Chapter Outline
Multiple Choice Quiz
Glossary
Flashcards
Internet Exercises
Interactive Activities
Crossword Puzzle
Web Links
FAQs
Around The Globe
For More Information
Feedback
Help Center


Psychology 5/e Book Cover
Psychology, 5/e
Lester M. Sdorow, Arcadia University
Cheryl A. Rickabaugh, University of Redlands

Thinking and Language

Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Lester M. Sdorow, author of Psychology, answers questions about thinking and language.

1. How does someone become an expert problem solver?

The ability to solve problems depends on knowledge, practice, and thinking ability. Thus, to become an expert in any field you must build up a fund of information, practice diligently, and apply your thinking ability to it appropriately. For example, championship chess players have studied numerous games played by experts, have played thousands of games themselves, and have the ability to think several moves ahead while they're playing.

2. Will computers someday surpass human beings in thinking ability?

Computer programs have already been developed that "think" faster and more accurately than human beings. In fact, in 1996 Gary Kasparov became the first world chess champion to lose to a computer--a computer that had been specifically programmed to "think" more like a human being than like a computer. It remains to be seen whether computer programs will ever demonstrate the creativity that characterizes much of human thinking.

3. Now that we know animals can learn sign language, what other mental qualities make human beings intellectually superior?

Though there is some evidence that apes can learn to use language, human beings exhibit more generativity in the use of language. While an ape might use sign language to ask for a drink, only human beings can produce works like those of Shakespeare. Another advantage of human intellectual ability is its greater flexibility--human beings can adapt to a far broader range of environments than can animals. Moreover, human beings can use their intellect to solve a greater variety of problems.