Critical Thinking

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 Critical Thinking

What critical thinking is NOT!

Being a Critic
What critical thinking is NOT!
Being a Critic
(This is not the same thing. Unfortunately they sound the
same, but a critic typically means someone who is negative
and who cuts people down. This is not critical thinking.)
Boring
(Critical thinking takes effort and can stimulate heated debates
and discussion.)
Critical Thinking

Defined:

The use of cognitive skills

and strategies that
increase the probability
of a desirable outcome
 Critical Thinking

 Who doesn’t want better outcomes?!?

 Psychologists study how we make decisions.

 Critical thinking, in this course, involves learning

the skills and strategies that TEND TO WORK! I
hope you agree, this is probably a good thing.
 Components of Critical Thinking
 Cognitive Component – knowledge of the skills
Yes, this part can be boring…
Good news: you can learn the skills.
Better news: your text covers these skills in a way
supported by research. If you try to learn these skills,
you will probably learn to be a more critical thinker.

 Affective (emotional) – attitude or disposition

Covered after the next slide
 Cognitive Skills of Critical Thinking
Verbal Reasoning
Scientific Method
Argument/Persuasion
Probability
Decision-Making / Problem-Solving

 We will cover all of these this semester

 Attitude / Affective Component
 Most important
part:

You must be
willing to think!
 Attitude / Affective Component
 Critical thinking is:
 Active not passive – it takes effort! If it leads to better
decisions, the effort is probably worth it.
 Flexible not rigid
 Critical thinkers typically doubt simple answers to questions.
Rigid thinking tends to be un-critical, explores fewer alternatives,
and settles on solutions.
 Skeptical not Cynical
 Skeptical – doubting certainty, questioning things – this is a
critical thinker’s motto!
 Cynical – assuming negative explanations – this hurts critical
thinking!
Review Questions (vocabulary in bold)
 Define “Critical Thinking”
 What are the two components to Critical Thinking?
 Describe what it means to be active verses passive
when thinking about a topic.
 How is being rigid in your thinking the opposite of critical
thinking?
 Can a cynic be a critical thinker? Why or why not?
 Which term refers to having a “questioning” approach to
the world? Skeptical or cynical.