de Bono asserts that increased competence in thinking can become easy by the conscious use of six types of thinking when appropriate to the occasion. He takes the saying 'Putting on your thinking cap' and suggests that the decision to think can be easily extended to a decision to think in particular styles, and identifies six such types of thinking. de Bono hopes that with frequent use of the hat terms to label these styles they can become conditioning triggers for the required type of thought process. He says that these styles of thinking can become 'thought-roles' between which one can switch as required.