thinking

Thought, or thinking, is a cognitive process in which the mind considers, creates, or manipulates ideas, representations, or information. Core forms include judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and deliberation. Other processes, such as entertaining an idea, memory, or imagination, are also frequently considered types of thought. Thought may arise in response to perception, but can also occur without immediate input from the sensory organs. In a broader sense, any mental event—including perception and unconscious processes—may be described as forms of thought. The term can also denote not the process itself, but the resulting mental states or systems of ideas.