Consulting People and Skills

“Critical-Thinking-What-it-is-and-why-it-counts” by Peter A. Facione

10 April 2021

Group 5 – Participant Details

Vaidya Amit Vijay -2019HB58507

Rahul Varma - 2019HB58528
Prateek Gupta - 2019HB58514
Beena P Nair- 2019HB58511
 Agenda

 Introduction
 Critical Thinking - Definition Amit
 Expert Opinion
 Delphi Research Method Beena
 Disposition Towards Critical Thinking
Prateek
 Thinking in Popular Culture
 Why Critical Thinking Rahul
 Introduction
Critical thinking, what it is and why it counts Peter. A. Facione
• The Article starts by articulating the importance of Critical thinking by eluding the fact that it is important to
teach the people to be able to make good decisions which automatically improves them their futures which also
makes them positive contributors to the society at large
• The author stresses the importance of higher education which equips a person to make better decision and
improve one’s on future as well as they become contributors to the society as they can share the learnings to
other people on decision making. It is clear that education and practicing good judgement may not guarantee a
life of happiness, virtue or economic success but improves the chances of prosperity for the individuals

Navy Admiral, Mike Mullen, June 11. 2009

 Critical Thinking - Definition Amit

A person who is able to…………..

Summarize complex ideas clearly with fairness from Decides important matters without pausing
all the sides? first to think things through

Come up with most justifiable or coherent • Failures of critical thinking:

explanation?
• Patient deaths
Readily devise sensible alternatives to explore but • Lost revenue
does not become defensive about abandoning them • Job loss
if they do not work ? • Ineffective law enforcement
• Gullible voters
Who can explain exactly how a particular conclusion
was reached?
• Financial mismanagement
• Heart disease
Listening to all sides of dispute, considering all the • Family violence
facts and then decide relevancy and then a • Suicide attempts
thoughtful judgement? • Imprisonment
Clear questioning of Socrates or a good attorney or • Academic failure
interviewer? • Divorce
• Drug addiction
Solve problem through discussion and coming out • Vehicular homicide
options?
 Expert Opinion Amit

Critical thinking involves Critical thinking

Reasoning, involves Team work
Interpretation, evaluation and collaboration
and analysis

Strong

• Lawyers use reasoning to try and
convince the judge and jury of their
clients claim to guilt or innocence
• Lawyers offer evidence and evaluate
the significance of the evidence
presented by opposition lawyers
• Lawyers interpret testimony as well
as analyse and evaluate the
arguments advanced by the other
side
Borderline
• A team of people trying
to solve a problem
collaborate with each Weak
other
• The members do not
compete with each other
but they work in concert
like colleagues for the
common goal
 Delphi Research Method Beena

A method to get a common view point from a set of experts from various disciplines. Steps below
• A central investigator prepares a list of questions for which answers/ opinions need to be derived
• A sample set of experts from various disciplines( as required for the subject of interest) are
identified.
• These questions are shared with the experts for their answers which are their opinions.
• The answers are collated by the central investigator and then disagreements are identified and
again shared with the expert team until consensus is reached.
• Finally when a consensus the summary is shared with all.

• The central investigator will not share the names of experts along with the argument when
shared for consensus. So the name or status of the expert do not influence the argument or
opinion.
• An expert argument has to stand on its own merits. An expert is only as good as the arguments
she or he gives.
 Disposition Towards Critical Thinking Prateek

Human beings are more than thinking Machine and this bring us back to those all Important attitudes called Disposition

• What kind of a person use their critical thinking skills. Expert says which having a critical sprits
• Critical Spirits (In Positive Sense) “A Probing inquisitiveness, a Keenness of mind , a zealous
dedication to reason and a hunger for reliable information”
• Critical thinkers are kind of a person who always want to ask Why?, How? And what happen if?
• Peter A. Falcone wants to identify “Does Strong Critical thinkers have Critical spirits”
• We cannot call someone strong critical thinker just because they have cognitive skills. But not bother
to apply them
• Why Critical thinking is necessary In Real Sense Critical thinking is pervasive. As long as people
wonder what is true ,what is not true , What to believe or not.
• Expert says Ideal Critical thinker cannot characterized only by
cognitive skills but also how she or he approach life and living
• Approach to life and living includes: Inquisitiveness, Self confidence
Open- Mindness flexibility and understanding ,Willingness to reconsider
 Disposition Towards Critical Thinking Prateek

• Strong critical thinkers characteristics like Clarity , Orderliness care in focusing attention, persistence
through difficulties, Care in focusing attention
• Weak Critical thinker or lacked in disposition Characteristics like muddle headed, easily distracted, easy
to give-up, not care about facts and unfair when it comes to judgment
• The word “Critical thinker” has a laudatory sense which used to praise someone who has strong critical
thinking skills

• Expert faced an interesting problem that good critical thinkers may use their skills to mislead someone
commit a fraud or deliberately confuse and confound and frustrate the project
• Facione agrees that sometime superior critical thinkers use their talents for ruthless, horrific and immoral
purposes. But ethically speaking it depends on the character integrity and principles of the persons
• People are demanding broader outcomes from school and collages that is “Knowledge and Skills”
• Broader set of outcomes includes habits of mind and disposition such as civic engagement and social
responsibility
 Thinking in Popular Culture and Cognitive Science Prateek

• Critical thinking is not only a kind of good thinking. There are other thinking like creative , Innovative , Kinetic
,Meditative, Instinctive thinking is a whole new way of conceiving things
• “Thinking in Cognitive Science” studied human thinking and decision making. Thinking is more integrated and
less dualistic than the notions of popular culture
• Human Thinking is generalization and indirect reflection of the essential attributes and interrelation b/w things
• Human decision making is an integrative functioning of two mutually supportive systems “Intuitive and
Reflective". And these two system of thinking present in all of us.
• Intuitive System called as SYSTEM 1 and Reflective system called as SYSTEM 2.
• System 1 thinking relies heavily on heuristics and helpful in handling problem of similar situation
• System 2 thinking relies on reflective thinking and useful for making judgements where we have more time to
figure out things
• System 1 and System 2 are both believed to be vital decision making tools when stakes are high and when
uncertainty is an issue
• Cognitive heuristics are thinking manoeuvres which at times appear to be hardwire into our species
• Cognitive heuristics influence both systems of thinking. Intuitive thinking of system 1 and reflective reasoning of
system 2
 Thinking in Popular Culture and Cognitive Science Rahul

• Heuristics in System 1 are

• Availability- (Mind of story or vivid memory that this event happen before also)
• Affect (Gut reaction set initial mind make up in us and difficult for system2 to overcome)
• Association (When some word trigger the other idea like cancer trigger death )
• Simulation (Imagination of scenarios)
• Similarity (Event happen to some other person and can happen to us)
• Heuristics in System 2 are
• Satisficing (When we consider our alternatives)
• Risk/Loss Aversion (fear of losing rather than gain )
• Anchoring with adjustment (Making evaluated Judgement)
• Illusion of Control (Abilities to control what will happen)
• Dominance Structure Suggests that when we settle on a particular option which is good enough we to elevate its
merits and dimmish its flaw relative to other option.
• Dominance structure is so powerful that it won’t allow to change the decision even if other try to influence us by
other options
• There is much to learn about dominance structuring ,human thinking Premature settling on a good enough
option craft intervention for system 1 and system 2
• Peter A. Facione is happily say there is lot to know about human thinking and decision making that we did before
 Why Critical Thinking Rahul

• Critical Thinking can be a value add to an individual to have the cognitive skills of interpretation,
analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self regulation
• A study over 1100 college students shows that scores on a college student shows, that scores on a
college level critical thinking skill test significantly correlated with college GPA 7 which supports the
hypothesis of significant correlation between critical thinking and reading comprehension
• Critical Thinking in working consensus can be defined as a purposeful, reflective judgement
which manifest itself in reasoned consideration of evidence, context, methods, standards, and
conceptualizations
• The article also talks about the importance of critical thinking from individual as well as from a
community perspective where it talks about the adverse effects on a community as without
applying the concept and principles of critical thinking people would be more easily exploited not
only politically but economically
• Critical thinking is skeptical without being critical. It is open-minded without being wishy-washy. It
is analytical without being nitpicky. Critical thinking can be decisive without being stubborn,
evaluative without being judgemental and forceful with being opinionated
 Why Critical Thinking Rahul

• A 5-step critical thinking problem solving & decision making process can be used for deriving a
solution from being critical using IDEAS methodology

• I = IDENTIFY the problem and set priorities (step 1)

• D = DEEPEN Understanding and gather relevant information (Step 2)
• E = ENUMERATE Options and Anticipate Consequences (Step 3)
• A = ASSESS Situation and Make a Preliminary Decision (Step 4)
• S = SCRUTINIZE the process and self-correct as needed (Step 5)
Thank you!