MENTAL MODEL · M3626

CoRT Thinking Programme

DecidemediumDecision Science

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Updated 2026-08-05

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A thinking-skills curriculum created by Edward de Bono and developed through the Cognitive Research Trust, first published in the 1970s. Its core proposition is that thinking is an operational skill that can be taught explicitly, in the way arithmetic is taught, rather than an aptitude one either has or lacks. The CoRT Thinking Programme supplies concrete procedures such as PMI for weighing plus, minus, and interesting points, CAF for considering all factors, and C&S for tracing consequences and sequels. Its key constraint is that each tool addresses a specific phase of thinking, so no single tool substitutes for the programme.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Forced procedure: run a named tool before a decision so that attention lands where habit would not take it. - Deliberate breadth: use CAF to enumerate factors before evaluating any of them. - Consequence tracing: apply C&S to project immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term effects.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Spontaneous thinking is dominated by whatever is most salient at the moment, which in a decision is usually the strongest emotion or the first available option. A named procedure interrupts this by assigning attention to a category that has not yet been examined, and because the categories are finite and ordered, the process terminates rather than expanding indefinitely. Repetition turns the categories into habits, so the structure survives after the tool itself is no longer being consciously applied.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Name the tool you will use before starting, rather than deciding while thinking. 2. For PMI, list plus points, then minus points, then interesting or unresolved points, in that order. 3. For CAF, enumerate every factor before evaluating any of them. 4. For C&S, project the immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term consequences. 5. Close by recording which item changed your judgment.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_BonoZH · Explicit
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