Thinking Skills

Introduction to Critical Thinking

What is critical thinking?

Cognitive skills and intellectual dispositions needed to effectively:

Identify, analyze and evaluate arguments and truth claims Discover and overcome personal prejudices and biases Formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions To make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what is true
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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

What does not thinking critically look like?

Blindly reproducing old learned reactions Blindly accepting face value all justifications of organizations & political leaders Blindly believe TV commercials Blindly trust political commercials Blindly accept and say that if the textbook says it, it must be so Blindly accept and say that if the organization does it, it must be right
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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

What does Critical Thinking Look Like?

Contextual sensitivity - being sensitive to stereotypes about people of particular group & accept others at face value unconditionally Perspective thinking - trying to get into other person's head, or walk in others shoes to see the world way that person sees it Tolerance for ambiguity - ability to accept multiple interpretations of same situation

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

What are the Major Concepts in Critical Thinking?

Perception Assumptions Emotion Language Argument Fallacy Logic Problem Solving

You will learn all these major concepts throughout the course

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Something else is needed

More

to Critical Thinking than just cognitive skills Human beings are more than just thinking machines

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Need the Critical Spirit

(affective dispositions)
A

probing inquisitiveness A keenness of mind A zealous dedication to reason A hunger or eagerness for reliable information
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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Critical thinkers strive for these intellectual standards

Clarity Precision Accuracy Relevance Consistency Logical correctness Completeness Fairness

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Why is Critical Thinking of Value?

You can answerwhy of value to you?

Whats value of cognitive skills? Whats value of the critical spirit?

Would these mean more success at what you do? Would it mean better grades for students?

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Grades Yes!

1,100 college students

Significant correlation between CT scores & college GPA

Critical Thinking skills can be learned Significant correlation between Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Main Purpose of College Experience

Achievement of liberal (liberated) education. Its about Learning to learn Learning to think for ones self Leads away from nave acceptance of authority Leads above self-defeating relativism Beyond ambiguous contextualism Culminates in principled, reflective judgment

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

So..the benefits of critical thinking

In the classroom.

Understand materials you are studying Critically evaluate what you are learning Develop your own arguments on particular issues Problem-solving Analyze information, draw appropriate conclusions Avoid making foolish decisions Help to free us from unexamined assumptions, dogmas & prejudices
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In the workplace.

In Life

GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

If critical thinking is so important, why is that uncritical thinking is so common?

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Barriers to critical thinking

Lack of relevant background information Poor reading skills Bias Prejudice Superstition Peer pressure Face-saving Resistance to change Selective perception Rationalization Scapegoating
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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Cont. (barriers to critical thinking) THE MAJOR HINRANCES

Egocentrism (self-centred thinking) Sociocentrism (group-centred thinking) Stereotyping Unwarranted assumptions Wishful thinking

All these play a powerful role in hindering critical thinking

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

EGOCENTRISM the tendency to view ones own interests, ideas and values as superior to everyones else

SELF-INTERESTED THINKING tendency to accept and defend beliefs that harmonize ones own self-interest

SELF-SERVING BIAS tendency to overrate oneself

Are you overconfident in your belief?

Activity 1: Make a low and high guess such that you are 90 percent sure the correct answer falls between the two. Your challenge is to be neither too narrow (I.e overconfident) nor too wide (underconfident)

1. The number of Malaysias Internet users

(90% confidence range) LOW - ? HIGH - ?
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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Sociocentrism: group-centred thinking

Group bias the tendency to see ones own group as being inherently better than others Herd instinct (conformism) the tendency to follow the crowd

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Unwarranted Assumptions & Stereotyping

Assumption something taken for granted, something we believe to be true without any proof or conclusive evidence Unwarranted assumption something taken for granted without good reason Stereotyping making a hasty generalization

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking

Wishful thinking

Believing something not because you had good evidence for it but simply because you wished it were true. Believing something because it makes one feel good, not because there is good rational grounds for thinking it is true.

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GXEX 1406 Thinking and Communication Skills- Week 1 Introduction to Critical Thinking