Logical thinking and the way people choose to make assumptions can only occur through rational thought. According to an academic research paper by Markman and Gentner, once the model of a situation is established, logical reasoning can be expected to follow (2001, p. 229). In my line of work, for instance, every day my perceptual process is put to the test; customers and co-workers alike approach me with different issues or problems that they, in turn, perceive as the most important ones. I have to decide what is really important, what needs to be taken care of immediately, and what can wait. I am aware that I frequently do not have the luxury of making assumptions, and that instead I have to base my decisions in facts that are relayed to me by technicians and other experts in the field who I trust can give me the best advice. Sometimes, though, I have no choice but to trust my instincts and make assumptions, which can be misleading; I understand that assumptions are based on the way reality is individually perceived (Paul & Elder, 1999).
Kirby and Goodpaster (1999) suggest that to better process what enters the mind into an outstanding output, one should thoroughly
* Listen
* Observe
* Read
Then one can understand what the facts are and respond accordingly by way of
* Speak
* Act
* Write
Writing, acting, or talking can help us clarify the surrounding circumstances of any issue that at first glace might seem ambivalent, confusing, or just plain invalid (5-10).
One of the perceptual blocks that sometimes influence my view is the way I let first impressions impact the way I perceive people or a situation. I made wrong assumptions based solely on the way "I felt" about a person or a circumstance;...