Introduction to Critical Thinking

GXEX1406 Thinking and Communication Skills

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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 other’s 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

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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

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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

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Need “the Critical Spirit”(affective dispositions)

A probing inquisitivenessA keenness of mindA zealous dedication to

reasonA hunger or eagerness for

reliable information

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

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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

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Why is Critical Thinking of Value?

You can answer—why of value to you? What’s value of cognitive skills? What’s 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

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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

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

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Main Purpose of College Experience

Achievement of liberal (liberated) education. It’s about Learning to learn Learning to think for one’s self Leads away from naïve acceptance of

authority Leads above self-defeating relativism Beyond ambiguous contextualism

Culminates in principled, reflective judgment

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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

In the workplace…. Problem-solving Analyze information, draw appropriate conclusions

In Life… Avoid making foolish decisions Help to free us from unexamined assumptions, dogmas &

prejudices

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

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If critical thinking is so important, why is that

uncritical thinking is so common?

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

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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

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

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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

EGOCENTRISM – the tendency to view one’s own interests, ideas and values as superior to everyone’s else

SELF-INTERESTED THINKING – tendency to accept and defend beliefs that harmonize one’s own self-interest

SELF-SERVING BIAS – tendency to overrate oneself

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

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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 Malaysia’s Internet users

(90% confidence range)

LOW - ?

HIGH - ?

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

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Sociocentrism: group-centred thinking

Group bias – the tendency to see one’s own group as being inherently better than others

Herd instinct (conformism) – the tendency to follow the crowd

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

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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

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

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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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Activity 2 -Refer to the handout. Read the story and answer the questions

that follow:

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Answer the following Which one did you choose? Why? As you read, you probably imagined what the characters

looked like. From the image you had of them, describe the following characters in a few sentences:The CaptainDr BrownMarie BrownLieutenant Ashley MorgansternLettyEagle-Eye Sam

What is the relationship between Dr Brown and Marie Brown?

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Get into your group. Discuss the followings

Compare your responses to Questions 1 & 3? Is there any consensus in the group?

Look at your portrait of Dr Brown. How many assumptions did you make about the doctor’s gender, age, appearance, and profession? What evidence in the story supports your image of the doctor?

Look at your portraits of the other characters. What similarities do you find among your group members?

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Read Bassham’s Critical thinking – Chapter 1

Critical thinkers exhibit a number of traits that distinguish them from uncritical thinkers