Running head: CRITICAL THINKING 1

Thinking versus critical thinking

Timothy Brown

CJS/225

September 24, 2018

Dr. Tamara Mouras

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Thinking versus critical thinking

The You Make the Call: Discretion in Criminal Justice Police Patrol exercise in week

one laid out three very similar scenarios where you are a patrolman who just pulled over an

individual for speeding. This exercise provided a couple of different options that could’ve been

taken to solve the problem portrayed in the simulation. While many of the options presented

were neither correct or incorrect there were differences between the choices and the information

presented in the simulation.

Thinking vs. critical thinking

The situations presented in the exercise hinged on small details and the interaction with

the individual who was pulled over for speeding. While the choices seemed simple with the first

instinct but after hearing the evidence and looking at the various other aspects of the situation the

choices became more difficult to come to a solid decision. The choices hinged on the drivers’

speed, actions during the stop, location, time of day, and other minute factors. Having these

different options changed the thought dynamic from one of automatic decision making to a more

complex process that required looking at all the variables and coming up with an informed

decision. This is the biggest difference between normal thought and critical thinking. Critical

thinking requires you to look at all of the different options and make a decision based on all of

the options available while using all of the information to your best ability.

Improving thought process1

Changing the way, you look at a problem and process the information isn’t as difficult as it may

sound. Everyone approaches a problem in their own way and it depends on the situation or

problem for the approach the individual takes to solve it. When trying to improve your critical

thinking skills it’s best to get out of your comfort zone and take a step back from the problem.
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By putting yourself away from the problem and taking a better look at all of the angles of the

problem it allows you to see the problem in a new light. Thinking critically, like all things in life,

takes practice but the more you do it the easier it comes and the quicker it will happen. Once it

becomes second nature then it will be a tool that can be used more consistently and openly.

Police officers and critical thinking.

Police officers have tough jobs that require them to make on the spot decisions that have

far reaching effects on people’s lives. The nature of their job means they must make these

decisions with the information available to them and they need to make them on the spot with

little time to consider the points of the issue. This makes thinking critically a key component of

the job of being a police officer and being able to perform the duties required on the job.

Conclusion.

Critical thinking is a very important skill that can be used in all jobs and almost every

day. No matter what you do in life thinking critically is a skill that is both necessary and

important. Learning how to see the different points of view of a problem and understand the root

of the problem are the basic building blocks of critical thinking. While critical thinking isn’t

necessary for every problem or situation it is definitely an important skill to have.

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References

Kallet, M. (2014). Think smarter : critical thinking to improve problem-solving and decision-

making skills. Retrieved from

https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781118871256/cfi/6/2[;vnd.vst.idref=html-

cover-page].

McGrawHillEducation. (2018). You Make the Call: Discretion in Criminal Justice Police Patrol

[Multimedia]. Retrieved from McGrawHillEducation, CJS/225 website.