>>>>> "John" == John Turnbull <john at turnbull.org> writes:
John> In article <7fr9hl8oiv.fsf at faith.csis.hku.hk>, Lee Sau Dan
John> ~{@nJX6X~} <sdlee at faith.csis.hku.hk> wrote:
>> Try playing the game of Tetris, too! I can't see how far one
>> could get if he plays it by verbal thinking.
John> I guess it depends what you call thinking. I wouldn't
John> consider reacting to be thinking.
Driving may be a complicated set of reflex reactions. But I won't
agree that Tetris is also simple reactions.
John> When you first start
John> playing Tetris, or driving, one isn't very good, and in my
John> case there is a lot of verbal thinking going on. "That
John> piece will fit and fill the row" etc.
No, I didn't. Did you really say those words to yourself when you
first tried Tetris? I didn't at all!!! Yes, the idea "that piece
will fit there" does come to my mind, but NOT VERBALLY. It's only an
abstract idea that I have in my mind, without any words or sentences.
That you need to have words and sentences first is your matter. It
doesn't deny that ideas can flow in MY mind without words or
sentences. So, I can't tell you whether I think in Cantonese,
Mandarin or English. It's none of them. For Tetris, I think in
pictures!
(When I'm replying to you in this messages, ideas also come off my
mind first without words or sentences. I then fetch the words and
form the required sentence *in English*. I can do it as well in
Chinese. The point is: the ideas come off my mind first without any
words, neither Chinese nor English. When I want to express it in
English, I'll then form an English sentence for it. WHen I want to
express it in Chinese, I'll fetch Chinese words to form Chinese
sentences (using Chinese grammar) for it.)
John> As you gain
John> experience and have already solved the problems, you simply
John> recognize a situation, and reapply the same solution.
This is your case, and it is different from mine. I never talked to
myself when I first tried Tetris.
John> I'm willing to accept that different people think
John> differently, but for me I would consider verbal thinking
John> very important, and write notes on paper to help me think.
So, you're that kind of person who think predominantly in words. But
there are still times that you don't: Hum a familiar melody. Did you
do it verbally?
John> I would argue that any thinking that takes a long time, and
John> can be interrupted requires at least some verbal thinking to
John> keep on track, and communicate between the different parts
John> of the brain.
No, I don't think so.
--
Lee Sau Dan $(0,X)wAV(B(Big5) ~{@nJX6X~}(HZ)
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