Thinking Critically in Psychology

1. Thinking Critically in Psychology Introduction to Psychology Simon Fraser University

2. Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction • group of 46 “experts” used to articulate definition of Critical Thinking (CT) • Philosophy – 52% • Education – 22% • Social Sciences – 20% • Physical Sciences – 6% • CT found to include both skill and dispositional dimensions • six “core” cognitive skills • seven dispositions

3. CONSENSUS STATEMENT REGARDING CRITICALTHINKING AND THE IDEAL CRITICAL THINKER We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment whichresults in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanationof the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextualconsiderations upon which that judgment is based. CT is essential as a tool ofinquiry. As such, CT is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource inone's personal and civic life. While not synonymous with good thinking, CT is apervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. The ideal critical thinker ishabitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation, honest in facing personal biases, prudent in makingjudgments, willing to reconsider, clear about issues, orderly in complex matters,diligent in seeking relevant information, reasonable in the selection of criteria,focused in inquiry, and persistent in seeking results which are as precise as thesubject and the circumstances of inquiry permit. Thus, educating good criticalthinkers means working toward this ideal. It combines developing CT skills withnurturing those dispositions which consistently yield useful insights and which arethe basis of a rational and democratic society.

5. Interpretation • To comprehend and express the meaning or significance of a wide variety of experiences, situations, data, events, judgments, conventions, beliefs, rules, procedures or criteria.

6. Interpretation – Sub-Skills • Categorization • Decoding Significance • Clarifying Meaning

7. Analysis • To identify the intended and actual inferential relationships amongstatements, questions, concepts, descriptions or other forms of representation intended to express beliefs, judgments, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions.

8. Analysis – Sub-Skills • Examining Ideas • Identifying Arguments • Analyzing Arguments

9. Evaluation • To assess the credibility of statements or other representations which are accounts or descriptions of a person's perception, experience, situation, judgment, belief, or opinion; • and to assess the logical strength of the actual or intend inferential relationships among statements, descriptions, questions or other forms of representation.

10. Evaluation– Sub-Skills • Assessing Claims • Assessing Arguments

11. Inference • To identify and secure elements needed to draw reasonable conclusions; • to form conjectures and hypotheses; • to consider relevant information and to educe the consequences flowing from data, statements, principles, evidence, judgments, beliefs,opinions, concepts, descriptions, questions, or other forms of representation.

12. Inference – Sub-Skills • Querying Evidence • Conjecturing Alternatives • Drawing Conclusions

13. Explanation • To state the results of one's reasoning; • to justify that reasoning in terms of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological and contextual considerations upon which one's results were based; • and to present one's reasoning in the form of cogent arguments.

14. Explanation – Sub-Skills • Stating Results • Justifying Procedures • Presenting Arguments

15. Self-Regulation • Self-consciously to monitor one's cognitive activities, the elements used in those activities, and the results educed, particularly by applying skills in analysis and evaluation to one's own inferential judgments with a view toward questioning, confirming, validating, or correcting either one's reasoning or one's results.

16. Self-Regulation – Sub-Skills • Self-examination • Self-correction

18. Skepticism • APA report on undergraduate education • students develop skills in • learning • critical thinking • reasoning • students should become “amiable skeptics” about the information they encounter

19. Some tools that skeptics use: • Differentiating between fact and opinion • Recognizing and evaluating author bias and rhetoric • Determining cause-and-effect relationships • Determining the accuracy and completeness of information • Recognizing logical fallacies and faulty reasoning • Comparing and contrasting information and points of view • Developing inferential skills • Making judgments and drawing logical conclusions

20. The CRITIC Acronym • C Claim? • R Role of the claimant? • I Information backing the claim? • T Test? • I Independent testing? • C Cause proposed?

21. The CRITIC Acronym • Claim • what claim is being made? • can claim be assessed? • is claim falsifiable?

22. The CRITIC Acronym • Role of the Claimant • who is making the claim? • is the claimant objective/unbiased? • does claimant have something to gain?

23. The CRITIC Acronym • Information backing the claim? • what evidence is cited to support claim? • how reliable is evidence? • where was evidenced obtained? • can evidence be replicated?

24. The CRITIC Acronym • Test? • how was claim tested? • proper controls used? • internal validity of experiment? • correlation vs. causation?

25. The CRITIC Acronym • Independent testing? • is there an independent/unbiased test of the claim? • replication?

26. The CRITIC Acronym • Cause Proposed? • is the causal explanation for the claim plausible?

27. The Skeptical Inquirer • Near Death Experiences • Darkness, Tunnels, and Light