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An investigation of intuitive thinking as it relates to the visual decision-making process

University of British Columbia

This thesis advances the proposition that intuitive thinking, although difficult to observe, explain or measure, can be the subject of investigation and is amenable to analysis. The nature of intuitive thinking is reviewed, and its characteristics applied to an observable situation during a summer school course in which the subjects and the instructor/researcher recorded their awareness of intuitive thinking in journal form while involved in solving a variety of visual and creative problems. It is shown through the analysis of these evidences that four basic types of intuitive thinking are used during the creative problem-solving process. Further analysis shows that thinkers are sensitive to a variety of external influences, which either inhibit or facilitate intuitive behaviour. The study concludes that it is useful for educators involved in visual problem-solving activities to be cognizant of the physical and psychological factors that influence intuitive thinking and that it is possible to cultivate those heuristic behaviours which facilitate this form of non-deliberate thinking.

Text

2010-05-25

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/25002

Education

University of British Columbia

Graduate