CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?

Critical thinking is the ability to objectively analyze

information and draw a rational conclusion. It also
involves gathering information on a subject and
determining which pieces of information apply to the
subject and which do not, based on deductive
reasoning. The ability to think critically helps people in
both their personal and professional lives and is
valued by most employers.
What are the Powers of Observation?
Why should you develop Powers of Observation?
Ways to Develop Powers of Observation O
 OBSERVATION
Observation is the action or process of closely monitoring things or activities.
And the ability of your mind to notice such minute and significant details is
Powers of Observation.
Observation in terms of science can be the collection of certain data or
values recorded by any scientific tool during a scientific activity or experiment.
But the term observation that we are discussing here is more associated with
the awareness of the human mind to observe or notice the series of activities
happening around him.
Now, there is a more analytical term that we express as Critical Observation. It
is the ability to notice so delicate or precise details which are generally difficult
to analyse.
It is an important skill an observer possesses to gather subtle information from
any primary source or activity.
So, in this article developing powers of observation is mean to developing
critical observation skills.
 WHY SHOULD YOU DEVELOP POWERS OF
OBSERVATION?
So, here comes the question, why are the powers of observation an important
skill to develop?
Well, the people who have this skill can gather minute details or information
from anything which normal people might not notice or miss completely.
They can use these pieces of information to skillfully deal with and tactfully
handle any undesired state of situations.
So, people with this skill are considered to be more mindful of the situation
and have a greater ability to tackle difficult issues.
This gives them a greater edge over others in their professional life as well as
personal life.
Therefore, critical observation is one of the most essential and desirable soft
skills a person can have to rise in a business or professional career
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Be open to receiving information:
The first and most important step is that your mind should be open enough to
gather information from your environment.
Opening up your mind means you should have that mindset or belief of
learning new things from anyone or anything.
Every activity in your personal or professional life has something to offer you
that can enhance your information level.
However, the thing is that you should have this belief inside you and try to get
whatever bit of knowledge or information that it provides.
Ultimately it should be your curiosity or zeal to get exposed to the things and
explore them to analyze critically and get amazed by the result.
CHANNEL YOUR OBSERVATION TO A SPECIFIC
INTENTION:
You may observe a lot of things and gather a lot of information. But simply
gathering information is not enough unless you know how to use or implement
it.
You can only do it more effectively when you know your subject well and
have your set of intentions defined.
Knowing to integrate all the information from your observation to channel it
into achieving a specific goal is a more important aspect of critical
observation.
BE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT AND AVOID
DISTRACTION:
It is important to stay in the present moment and not get distracted by any
unintended external means like noise, gadgets, intruding thoughts, etc. to
minutely observe things around you or you intend to.
Try to focus on the situation or activity you are exposed to right now in the
present moment rather than swinging your thoughts into the past or future.
Just try to cut down any means of distraction and increase your
concentration and focus to increase your ability to observe critically
 USE ALL OF YOUR SENSES:
Human beings naturally have five senses through which they can sense or
observe anything.
A critical observer use all his five senses to notice and analyze his surroundings
or environment.
 APPLY YOUR FILTERS PROPERLY:
There is tons of information that you get daily from every activity you are
involved in. However, which information is relevant and can be used is sorted
out by your brain filters.
You should be aware of your filters else you can misread or misinterpret what
you observe.
Just like in an air filter whose pore size determines the size of dust particles to
be filtered out and fresh air to be allowed.
Similarly, our brains have filters based on our thoughts, beliefs, past
experiences, habits, etc. which determines the kind of information it lets in
inside.
It is necessary to refine your filters to get more through it and sort out the
information which you need most for your learning and growth.
 IMPROVE MEMORY OR ABILITY TO RECALL:

The information store today can utilize tomorrow.

So, it should be recalled when required and to achieve this your brain
memory plays a crucial role. With strong memory, you can imply any
information in any situation as demanded by it.
You need to train your brain for a sharp memory and recalling power. To
achieve this you can indulge yourself in different brain games like puzzles,
cryptograms, Rubik’s cube, chess, etc.
These games can not only help sharpen your memory but also stimulate and
boost your powers of observation, logical thinking and reasoning.
Also, you can keep a journal or field notes of everything that you observe and
review it repeatedly to get a stronghold of information.
 DEVELOP YOUR CRITICAL THINKING SKILL:

Being observant means not only watching or listening to things or simply

gathering information but also being able to think critically for the same set of
observations.
Critical thinking is a crucial aspect of observation. The ability to question,
reason, and analyze your observation can define the outcome of your work.
Critical thinking is a skill that you can develop by practising different tools and
techniques. Like playing brain games, doing deep research into any topic,
searching for logic and reasoning, etc.
 DO MEDITATE:
Meditation to many people is perceiving as a religious or spiritual norm and
consider a primitive practice. But lesser do they know that.
It is the most effective technique to control your mind and gain focus and
stability.
All the above traits that we have discussed from concentration to memory to
utilization of all senses etc. Can be strengthened through continuous
meditation.
So, you should start practising mindfulness meditation daily to strengthen your
focus and observational ability.
 WHAT IS DATA ANALYSIS? (WITH EXAMPLES)
Data analysis is the practice of working with data to glean useful information, which
can then be used to make informed decisions.
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist
facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts," Sherlock Holme's proclaims in Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle's A Scandal in Bohemia.
This idea lies at the root of data analysis. When we can extract meaning from data, it
empowers us to make better decisions. And we’re living in a time when we have more
data than ever at our fingertips.
Companies are wisening up to the benefits of leveraging data. Data analysis can
help a bank to personalize customer interactions, a health care system to predict
future health needs, or an entertainment company to create the next big streaming
hit.
The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2020 listed data analysts and
scientists as the top emerging job, followed immediately by AI and machine learning
specialists, and big data specialists [1]. In this article, you'll learn more about the data
analysis process, different types of data analysis, and recommended courses to help
you get started in this exciting field.
 DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS
As the data available to companies continues to grow both in amount and
complexity, so too does the need for an effective and efficient process by
which to harness the value of that data. The data analysis process typically
moves through several iterative phases. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Identify
Collect
Clean
Analyze
Interpret
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Identify the business question you’d like to answer. What problem is the company trying
to solve? What do you need to measure, and how will you measure it?
Collect the raw data sets you’ll need to help you answer the identified question. Data
collection might come from internal sources, like a company’s client relationship
management (CRM) software, or from secondary sources, like government records or
social media application programming interfaces (APIs).
Clean the data to prepare it for analysis. This often involves purging duplicate and
anomalous data, reconciling inconsistencies, standardizing data structure and format, and
dealing with white spaces and other syntax errors.
Analyze the data. By manipulating the data using various data analysis techniques and
tools, you can begin to find trends, correlations, outliers, and variations that tell a story.
During this stage, you might use data mining to discover patterns within databases or data
visualization software to help transform data into an easy-to-understand graphical format.
Interpret the results of your analysis to see how well the data answered your original
question. What recommendations can you make based on the data? What are the
limitations to your conclusions?
 WHAT IS AN INFERENCE?
An inference is a process of deduction that involves using existing information
to make educated guesses about missing pieces of information.
People use inference all the time in daily life: it is the process of extrapolating
information.
For example, if it is the middle of winter and there is snow on the ground, one
might infer that a coat is needed before going outside, as it is likely to be cold.
Inferences allow people to arrive at logical conclusions based on evidence.
In literature, an inference definition involves something learned through a
combination of a reader's knowledge, historical context, and what is known of
the author.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING INFERENCES
Making inferences is a very important part of reading. Writers will often on
purpose leave out some information and require readers to infer what is
missing based on the evidence. This keeps audiences engaged with the story.
A book where no inferences were required at all would likely be extremely dull
to read because it would explicitly state every detail for the audience.
 CONT,,
When a writer obliges readers to make inferences, they are giving the
audience clues as to what is going to happen. Figuring these clues out and
using them to make inferences about the plot and characters is one of the
pleasures of reading.
Understanding what an author is trying to communicate is also called finding
the intended meaning in a story. When reading a story, it can be helpful to
look for what the author is trying to communicate to the audience, or explore
the work's intended meaning.
What is the difference between ''infer'' vs ''imply?'' A reader might infer
something that an author implied: inference is the interpretation of implication.
 SKILLS INVOLVING INFERENCE
Understanding how to make inferences is a primary part of critical thinking
and is important in a number of different careers. Skills and jobs that require
the ability to infer information include but are not limited to:
All branches of science
Philosophy
Medicine
Teaching
Writing
Designing
 ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Effective communication skills help you to receive and convey information,
ideas and messages in ways that are powerful and suitable to the situation
 CONT,,
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION Convey ideas and information through the use of written
language.
ORAL COMMUNICATION Convey ideas and information through the use of spoken
language.
NON-VERBAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION Convey ideas and information through
the use of imagery or wordless cues.
ACTIVE LISTENING Communicate effectively by summarizing and restating what you
hear in your own words in order to confirm the understanding of all parties. Active
listening helps people to open up, avoid misunderstandings, resolve conflicts and
build trust.
CONTEXTUAL COMMUNICATION Communicate effectively in different contexts,
including those pertaining to various populations, persons, situations, environments or
sets of behaviors. This includes such contexts as professional, cross-cultural, online,
academic and crisis communication
 PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD DEFINITION
Problem solving is the process of identifying an existing problem, determining the root
cause or causes of the problem, deciding the best course of action in order to solve
the problem, and then finally implementing it to solve the problem.
Another problem solving meaning is that it is simply a methodology for solving
everyday issues. Problem-solving is crucially important for the basic continued survival
of all living creatures, especially human beings. We use it throughout our everyday
lives to solve basic needs, such as food and water, as well as more complex issues
such as changing a light fixture on the International Space Station.
There are various types of problem solving that are used in countless ways and in
countless fields of study such as mathematics and physics to determine to solve
complex equations and theoretical issues. It is also widely used in a variety of
professional fields such as construction and plumbing where workers must be able to
adapt to meet the needs of specific clients. There are many ways to solve problems.
The countless number of everyday solutions are as diverse and specialized as the
problems themselves.
 PROBLEM SOLVING EXAMPLES
As mentioned before, the number of problem solving examples is vast. For
example, when John goes out to his car in the morning, he discovers that he
has a flat tire. In order to solve this basic problem, John must first overcome the
obstacle of successfully removing the flat tire and properly attaching the new
one so that he can get to work. Although he realizes that he had a few other
options to choose from in regards to solving this problem, such as calling a
repairman or attempting to repair the damaged tire, John chose to problem
solve the way he did due to the necessity for getting to work in a timely
manner. If the situation had been different, he may have chosen to use one of
the other methods instead.
 THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS
The problem solving process, or model, is one methodology in which people
can go about solving their day-to-day problems whether they be personal or
professional.
The steps in this process include the following.
1. Define the problem.
2. Generate alternate solutions.
3. Evaluate and select a singular solution.
4. Implement the said solution.
 CONT,,
This process is very similar to others in that it starts with identification and ends
with implementation.
For example, when Michael does not know the most expedient route to his
new job in the morning, he begins by acknowledging his lack of knowledge
and decides to do something about it. He decides to generate alternate
solutions by entering the work address into his GPS which displays three
different routes. By using a quick analysis of how long which route will take him,
Michael decides to take route A since it will take the shortest amount of time.
Finally, Michael jumps into his car and takes the decided-upon route. This
process, although simple, is crucial to people's everyday lives and its use is
almost constantly.
Individuals use the problem solving approach so much, that oftentimes they
do not even realize that it is happening.
 PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES
Problem solving techniques are once again great in variation and are nearly as
important as the problem solving itself. Without having proper techniques to being the
problem solving process, individuals would find it much more difficult to do effectively.
Such examples of these techniques are as follows:
Trial and Error
Difference Reduction
Means-End Analysis
Working Backwards
Analogies
This list is extremely limited; however, it exemplifies just how simple problem-solving
techniques can be as well as how different they are from one another at times.
Choosing the correct technique for the given situation is dependent on the individual,
their experience, and their resourcefulness.
 TRIAL AND ERROR
At times, there is no exact science to effective problem solving, especially if
there are multiple supposed routes that could lead to success. Problem-solving
by what is known as trial and error simply means that an individual tries one
method of problem-solving with the presumption that it could fail and they will
be forced to try another. This method is ordinarily used if the consequences for
the plan failing are not too detrimental or costly.
For example, David may choose this method if he is trying to solve the
problem of how he prefers to cut his grass in the springtime. If David does not
end up liking the result of moving back and forth in lines, then he can simply
wait for it to regrow and try circling around the yard instead. In turn, David
would probably not choose to use this method if his problem was more
sensitive. This might include solving the problem with the electrical wiring in his
house whereas he may choose to take the safe route and call a professional
rather than risk electrocuting himself.
 DIFFERENCE REDUCTION
Another effective technique of problem-solving is what is known as difference
reduction. Difference reduction is simply the process of taking one large
seemingly complicated problem and breaking it down into smaller and more
manageable problems.
As the saying goes, "The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." So
goes the same for problem-solving at times.
For example, if Elizabeth's problem is being lost in the woods, her obvious
solution is to get home safely. In order to do so, she may have to solve a
number of smaller problems first such as figuring out where she is on the map,
rationing out her food so that she doesn't eat it all, and even possibly starting a
fire to keep her warm. This is obviously a more extreme example than most
people find in their everyday lives; however, the principle and importance of
difference reduction remain the same.
 MEANS-ENDS ANALYSIS
is another technique that is commonly used to problem solve. It entails
beginning with the end goal in mind and essentially breaking it into several
different categories of sub-goals that must first be accomplished. There is no
limit as to how many sub-goals are required, but once they are all identified
then actions are decided upon in order to achive the various sub-goals.