Foundations of Science Critical Thinking Foundations of Science

Let’s think about it What makes people effective critical thinkers? List some characteristics that you believe make people more critical thinkers.

Critical Thinking Critical Thinkers… Are flexible Identify biases & assumptions Maintain an air of skepticism Separate facts from opinions Don’t oversimplify Use logic inferences Examine available evidence before coming to conclusions Avoid emotional reasoning After all this, they continue to modify their conclusions as new information becomes available Critical thinkers are flexible – they can tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty There may be no definitive correct answer. Critical thinkers identify inherent biases and assumptions All individuals interpret information through the lens of their own experiences Example: Pew Research Center (August 14-17, 2014) Asked people whether the police shooting of an African American teen in Ferguson, Missouri raised important issues about race – 80% of Blacks agreed whereas only 37% of Whites agreed. Which group is unbiased? Neither group is unbiased – each person’s experiences shape their opinions. Critical thinkers maintain an air of skepticism …even about ideas with which we agree Critical thinkers separate facts from opinion Critical thinkers don’t oversimplify Be careful of “simple” answers (e.g., solely biology, solely socialization) Be careful when people generalize from own personal experiences and ignore scientific evidence to the contrary “My parents were divorced and I turned out fine! Therefore, divorce doesn’t harm children” Critical thinkers use logical inference E.g. Correlation doesn’t equal causation (ice cream sales and murder rates) Critical thinkers examine available evidence before drawing conclusions What is the research on the issue? Is the research well-designed? Critical thinkers avoid emotional reasoning Emotion and critical thinking can coexist Problematic when it interferences with clear thinking (get so emotional you can’t think) After all this, they continue to modify their conclusions as new information becomes available “Facts” can change over time – they represent our current state of knowledge at a given time Source: Smith

Mini-Review What are some characteristics of critical thinkers? Provide an example of a lapse in logical inferences.