Читать книгу Figure It Out - Stephen P. Anderson - Страница 43

To the extent that we use (or intentionally choose to avoid) certain associations, we affect understanding—understanding for ourselves and for others. Accordingly, it’s critical to consider how these conceptual associations slip into nearly every part of our daily interactions. Once we become aware of how associations show up, we can become more fluent at using, challenging, and avoiding associative thinking. That’s the goal.

To kick off our investigation into associations (notice the detective concept we’re activating with that specific word choice), we’ll begin primarily with examples based in language and then turn our attention to the associations invoked by what we see. While there is no clean way to structure this exploration, we have chosen to examine how associations are activated in the following ways.

First, Chapter 4, “Everyday Associations: Metaphors, Priming, Anchoring, and Narrative,” will examine what we commonly hear, read, or say:

• Metaphors (which touches on emotionally laden phrases, decision framing, and subversive language)

• Priming and anchoring

• Narratives (briefly, with a subsection on simulation)

Then Chapter 5, “Everyday Associations: Aesthetics and Explicit Visual Metaphors,” will look at associations activated by what we see:

• Aesthetics (both visual and nonvisual)

• Explicit visual metaphors

Finally, Chapter 6, “Closing Thoughts and Cautionary Notes About Associations,” will explore first principles and other considerations that should accompany any discussion of associative thinking.