Mental sets is a daily and almost instant set of “guidelines” that we have used previously utilized to help evaluate a problem. It is the most efficient way our brains go about solving daily problems. By understanding what mental sets are, how our brain utilizes them, and best practices on intentionally altering the way we think we can benefit in our daily life to make more informed and deliberate decisions, enjoy solving problems, and effectively act on those decisions.
“In general, the term mental set refers to the tendency to think about and try to solve problems in a manner consistent with the way in which we have interpreted and solved seemingly similar problems in the past. There is a positive and a negative side to mental sets. On the positive side, if the approach we take to the problem is the correct one, it will help us solve the new problem quickly and efficiently” (DCL UNCG Psychology 121). While on the opposite side of the spectrum if you have learned something previously incorrect and try to build on that you will refer back to a wrong answer. This is where knowing how the process works can come into helping us utilize and train our brains more effectively and efficiently.
Have you ever heard of employers desiring someone who can think “outside the box” and that a desirable quality in an employee is to have a “creative” solution? While this is a grand way of wording the result, it is still based on the concept that those that can think quick on their feet and in nontraditional ways will succeed in their careers. This is does not necessarily mean that they always do not follow a set of rules in their thought process, but only that they have previously made connections or mental sets that are different than the general thought process and assumptions that most make. For example, when you are told a riddle and the solution is challenging due to the double meaning of some concepts and words and then you suddenly experience the “aha” moment. This is not only a thought process but there is an attached physical response related to this. In 2012 there was a study done by various scientists that took MRIs as people solved Chinese Chengyu riddles. Dr. Zhao goes on to say “Our data indicates that the early period of insight solution shows more activation in the middle temporal gyrus, the middle frontal gyrus and the anterior cingulate cortex. These activities might be associated to the extensive semantic processing, as well as detecting and resolving cognitive conflicts. In contrast, the late period of insight solution produced increased activities in the hippocampus and the amygdala, possibly reflecting the forming of novel association and the concomitant “Aha” feeling. Our study supports the key role of hippocampus in forming novel associations, and indicates a dynamic neural network during insight solution” (Zhao, 2013). While this may not seem revolutionary, it is insightful to the physical response and process of mental sets.
I found this profound in a simple discussion I had with my children as we shared riddles. For example, what has four legs and one foot? With the use of the words “legs and foot” you would typically refer to the mental set it was living, but it in fact was a bed. Another riddle we enjoyed was that of what seven letter word contains hundreds of letters? The answer- mailbox. By grouping the words “word and letter” your mental set mislead you to not create one of these “out of the box” answers earlier mentioned. But rest assured that now that you are aware of the issue and how to solve this differently you have created a new mental set and possible solution.
Overall, the world needs people to think alternatively and quickly to prove the success of our species. Mental sets help us in a way that could be considered “Darwinism” in nature and always evolving. By better understanding how to use and create mental sets we can not only better our answers, be more creative in our solutions, but also propose revolutionary concepts.
DCL UNCG Psychology 121. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/courses/psychology-ischool/unit7/unit7_mental.asp
Zhao, Q., Zhou, Z., Xu, H., Chen, S., Xu, F., Fan, W., & Han, L. (2013). Dynamic Neural Network of Insight: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on Solving Chinese ‘Chengyu’ Riddles. Plos ONE, 8(3), 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059351