For decades, Harvard’s Project Zero, led by Shari Tishman and David Perkins, has studied how people think, learn, and transfer knowledge across domains. Their findings dismantle a common myth: that thinking ability is fixed or confined to one context. Instead, they show that the mind is remarkably teachable when thinking is made visible, practiced deliberately, and reinforced through culture.
Tishman and Perkins’ framework distinguishes between thinking skills (what you can do) and thinking dispositions (what you tend to do). A disposition combines three elements:
Ability – knowing how to think critically or creatively
Inclination – wanting to use that ability
Sensitivity – recognizing when a situation calls for it
Most people have the ability—but lack the inclination or sensitivity to apply it. The result is a “knowing–doing gap” that explains why even talented teams can fall back on habitual thinking under pressure.
Project Zero’s research shows that dispositions can be cultivated through structured reflection and repeated practice—what they call thinking routines (Tishman, Perkins & Jay, 1993). Over time, these routines shift not only how people reason, but also when and why they choose to deploy certain mental moves. This is the essence of cognitive flexibility.
