Ah, the ambiguous "why" of motivation: my old enemy, we meet again!
My job often requires of me that I ask people what their hypotheses are for third parties' behaviors. I have to be very, very, very careful how I phrase such questions, because, as you have noticed, the question "Why do you think he is crying?" can be parsed two very different ways:
"What do you think his reason is for crying?"
vs.
"What are your reasons for thinking he is crying?"
The second of these two questions – especially when phrased using the word "why", which is idiomatically used in rhetorical questions to express anger – can be construed as an insult. If you ask "why do you think he is crying?" in the right (or rather wrong) tone of voice and context, it will be construed as your having said, "What's kind of idiot are you that you mistakenly think that he is crying?"
As someone who has to ask both the "what are your reasons for thinking this" and the "what do you think his reasons are" questions on a regular basis, and make sure that I keep them distinct and don't antagonize anyone I ask them of, I'll tell you: there is no simple easy grammatical way to do so.
The way I do it is by explaining myself in detail using lots of words, and/or by pursuing the question by entirely other words:
How did you know he was crying?
What did you see that let you know he was crying?
Did you see him crying?
vs.
What reason did he have for crying?
Did he say why he was crying?
I wonder why he was crying.
In most contexts, there is no difference. "Lets talk [x]" is an informal, colloquial abbreviation for "let's talk about [x]".
There is something of a difference though - the shorter "lets talk [x]" can imply things that the other does not. For example, "let's talk salary", following a discussion about potential employment, is really like saying "tell me what you are offering me as a salary". Talking "about" something is really just naming the subject, and is not always so pointed.
I would also note that I believe it is more common in American English than British English, although it is used.
Best Answer
The verb ask differs from similar verbs such as seek and request in that you have to ask someone, either directly or indirectly, even though that someone might be a computer or a deity.
When you say:
you mean: Can I ask you for a favour?
and
means: *Why don't you ask him for advice.
Equally, when you say:
It's understand that you are speaking to someone, meaning:
So although it's correct to seek or request information or answers, it's not correct to ask information.
You have to follow ask with for (or possibly another preposition such as unto).