CRITICAL THINKING THEORY

PRINCIPLES OF CRITICAL THINKING

According to Rathus  (2008), psychologists are guided by scientific principles, and one hallmark of science is Critical Thinking. A group of Psychologists defined the goals of critical thinking as fostering the following thinking skills :- 

• Development of doubt feeling about explanations and conclusions. 

• The ability to inquire about causes and events. 

1. Increased curiosity about behavior.
2. Knowledge about research methods.
3. The ability to analyze arguments critically.

* Let us Now consider some principles of Critical Thinking, as pointed out by Rathus (2008). There are as follows :-

Be Skeptical : We as a Citizen have to keep an open mind. Politicians and Advertisers try to persuade you. Accept nothing as the truth until you have examined the evidence.

Examine Definitions Of Term : Some Statements are true when a term is defined in one way but not when a term is defined in some other different ways. So try to follow the real meaning of a term.

Examine The Theory/Assumptions or Premises Of Arguments :  Consider the statement that one can not learn about human beings by engaging in research with animals. One arguments in the statement seems to be that human beings are not animals. We are of course , Social Animals.

Be  Cautious From Drawing Conclusion From Evidence :  Suppose you see a driver , before he/she met with an accident. You are too quick to draw a conclusion that " drinking was the cause of accident ". However, there may be other causes such as Bad road, mechanical failure or Fault of the other driver. One or more of which might have been the cause of the Accident.

 Consider Alternative Interpretation Of Research Evidence : You read a Statement based on a research that, frustration leads to aggression. However , all frustrated people are not necessarily aggressive . Similarly , aggressive behavior is not due to frustration alone. Though Research evidence is accepted without question , researchers may differ in their interpretation of the same. So, you must think of other alternative interpretation of results  rather than blindly accepting the explanation given by a researcher. 

Do Not Over Simplify : Most humans behavior involves complex interaction of genetic and environmental influences . Also consider the issue of whether " Psychopathy " help people with psychological problems. A broad answer to this Question ?  YES or NO ? Might be over simplifying . In simple words,  some concepts are so broad that we can directly answer it in yes or no . We need to get every information about his or her suffering that what  illness He/She having from how many days Etc. What kind of Psychopathy , practiced by whom is most helpful, for what kind of problem he/she is having.