2. THE MIND IN TALK: The Process of Cognition Lecture 3b Lecture 3b 3112: COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS

3. 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)

4. COGNITION AND COMMUNICATION  THINKING - WE ALL ATTACH WORDS TO IMAGES BUT  DO WE USE MANY WAYS TO NAME IMAGES OR FEW  BLACK-WHITE; EITHER-OR THINKING  COMPLEX THINKERS OR SIMPLE  MANY LEVELS, APPROACHES OR FEW  BUT MOST CRITICALLY: CAN WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN INFERENCE AND FACT?CAN WE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN INFERENCE AND FACT?

5. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN REPORTS, INFERENCES, JUDGMENTS  REPORTS (DATA): STATEMENTS THAT CAN BE VERIFIED OR DISPROVEDSTATEMENTS THAT CAN BE VERIFIED OR DISPROVED  INFERENCES (ASSUMPTIONS): STATEMENTS ABOUT THE UNKNOWN MADE ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS KNOWNSTATEMENTS ABOUT THE UNKNOWN MADE ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS KNOWN  JUDGMENTS (CONCLUSIONS): EXPRESSES APPROVAL OF DISAPPROVALEXPRESSES APPROVAL OF DISAPPROVAL

6. A MODEL OF MENTAL PROCESSES  The Inference Ladder  Simple, Clear Metaphor For How The Mind Works  Most of this automatic

7. 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 TRUTHOUR BELIEFS ARE THE TRUTH THE TRUTH IS OBVIOUSTHE TRUTH IS OBVIOUS OUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON REAL DATAOUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON REAL DATA DATA WE SELECT ARE THE REAL DATADATA WE SELECT ARE THE REAL DATA WE DECIDE WE HAVE ALL THE DATA WE NEEDWE DECIDE WE HAVE ALL THE DATA WE NEED OUR BELIEFS ARE THE TRUTHOUR BELIEFS ARE THE TRUTH THE TRUTH IS OBVIOUSTHE TRUTH IS OBVIOUS OUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON REAL DATAOUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON REAL DATA DATA WE SELECT ARE THE REAL DATADATA WE SELECT ARE THE REAL DATA WE DECIDE WE HAVE ALL THE DATA WE NEEDWE DECIDE WE HAVE ALL THE DATA WE NEED

8. THE REFLEXIVE LOOP OBSERVABLE “DATA” AND EXPERIENCES (AS A VIDEOTAPE RECORDER MIGHT CAPTURE IT) I TAKE ACTIONS BASED ON MY BELIEFS I ADAPT BELIEFS ABOUT THE WORLD I DRAW CONCLUSIONS - MAKE JUDGEMENTS MAKE JUDGEMENTS I MAKE ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON THE MEANINGS I ADDED I ADD MEANINGS (CULTURAL AND PERSONAL) I SELECT “DATA” FROM WHAT I OBSERVE OUR BELIEFS AFFECT WHAT DATA WE SELECT NEXT TIME) (OUR BELIEFS AFFECT WHAT DATA WE SELECT NEXT TIME) Perception Cognition

9. THINKING AND THE MISUSE OF LANGUAGE  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  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

10. THINKING AND THE MISUSE OF LANGUAGE  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  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