ABSK 902

Observation

• To observe means to hold something in front

of you, to keep it, watch it and pay attention
to details.
• Sensing Perceiving Thinking
• Sensing is collecting data through sense organs
such as the eyes and nose.
• Perceiving is focusing on particular sensations,
organizing and interpreting them.
• “thinking is an active process whereby people
organize their perceptions of the world”.
 Facts
• Statements of fact provide information
about people, places, events, and ideas
that can be verified, or checked, for
accuracy.
• Facts do not reveal the author’s personal
perspective, or point of view.
• However, facts can and do change over
a period of time as new discoveries or
methods of research come to light in the
fields of medicine, science and history.
 Opinions
• Statements of opinion reflect the writer’s
perspective on the subject being
discussed. Shaped by an author’s
personal experience, training, and
background, opinions about the same
subject can vary from person to person,
and group to group.
• Opinions are too subjective, or too
personal, to be checked in reference
books or historical records.
Informed and Uninformed Opinions

• Informed opinions are backed by reasons

and/or evidence.
• Uninformed opinions lack adequate
evidence or are backed by inappropriate
reasons.
• Critical readers need to distinguish
between informed and uninformed
opinions.
• Writers and textbook authors tend to mix
a fact with an opinion.
 Inferences
•When we infer, we imagine, reason, guess,
estimate, predict, and conclude.
•When we infer, we make guesses to form a
bridge between what we know and don’t
know.
•Giving a mother’s day gift
You need to find a gift that will please your
mother. You have to imagine (infer) what she
would like. You decide (infer) that she might
appreciate some perfume. If she smiles and
hugs you after opening the package, you can
conclude (infer) that you had made a good
choice.
 Assumption

• we assume when we take something for

granted or accept an idea without
sufficient proof of its truth or certainty.
 Conscious
 Unconscious
 Warranted
 Unwarranted