Critical Thinking Concepts and Skills

Course Information

• Course title: Med102 Critical Thinking
• Instructor: Dr. Noor Alsalemi, PhD, PharmD, BSc, RPEBC, Assistant Professor
• Department: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice
• College: College of Pharmacy
• Date: 10/17/24

Learning Objectives

• Define critical thinking and identify its benefits
• Explain reasonability and how it relates to skepticism and trust
• Recognize the significance of argument in critical thinking
• Explain the difference between self's and other's reasoning
• Explain skills required for critical thinking
• Describe barriers to critical thinking

What Will Be Covered Today

• What is critical thinking
• Why is critical thinking important?
• Where is critical thinking used?

Defining Terms

• Critical thinking: A cognitive activity associated with using the mind to think in critical, analytical, and evaluative ways using mental processes such as attention, categorization, selection, and judgment
• Reasoning: The process of forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences based on logic, evidence, or premises. It involves evaluating information and applying logic to solve problems or answer questions.
• Arguments: A reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action, or theory. It is a message conveyed through speech, writing, or display.

Critical Thinking Process

• Identifying other people's positions, arguments, and conclusions
• Evaluating the evidence for alternative points of view
• Weighing up opposing arguments and evidence fairly
• Reading between the lines and identifying false or unfair assumptions
• Recognizing techniques used to make certain positions more appealing than others, such as false logic and persuasive devices
• Reflecting on issues in a structured way, applying logic and insight
• Drawing conclusions on the validity and justifiability of arguments, based on solid evidence and reasonable assumptions
• Presenting a point of view in a structured, clear, well-reasoned manner to convince others

Example Critical Thinking Questions

• Should I buy a conventional new car or a luxurious second-hand car?
• Is COVID-19 vaccination a fraud to sterilize and control populations globally?
• What is my stance on abortion in cases of identified birth defects?
• Is levetiracetam a better option compared to valproate in treating epilepsy in older adults?

Benefits of Critical Thinking

• Enhanced skills and abilities: Enhanced accuracy in noting what is relevant and what is not, improved problem-solving and project management skills, enhanced precision in performing tasks, improved efficiency in reasoning;
• Development of ancillary skills: Observation, analysis, reasoning, judgment, decision-making, persuasion

Skepticism and Trust

• Critical thinking requires ability to reflect skeptically and ability to think in a reasoned way.
• Skepticism involves bringing an element of polite doubt, holding open the possibility that only part of the picture is known, making more informed decisions, applying certain methods for exploring evidence, and not about personal traits or personality.
• Trust involves accepting the probability that at least some things are as they seem.

Reasonability

• Critical thinking requires discernment when it is reasonable to be trusting and when to be skeptical by analyzing the basis of what we take as true.
• Reason ability is not about natural traits but about applying methods to explore evidence in a particular way.
• Skeptical people may require approaches to trust the probability of an outcome, while trusting people may require methods to use doubt constructively.

Critical Thinking and Argument

• Argument is a reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action, or theory.
• A message can be conveyed through speech, writing, performance, or other media.
• Critical thinking helps identify obvious and hidden messages in arguments and understand how an argument is constructed (inductive versus deductive reasoning).

Inductive vs. Deductive Reasoning

• Inductive reasoning generalizes conclusions based on specific scenarios.
• Deductive reasoning uses specific scenarios to support a generalized statement.

Perspectives of Critical Reasoning

Critical reasoning involves understanding one's own beliefs, actions, and the reasoning of others; evaluating arguments, understanding how conclusions are drawn (inductive vs deductive reasoning), identifying flaws in reasoning, and critically evaluating one's own beliefs & actions.

Constructing and Presenting Reasons

• Evidence can be basic examples or formal structures (essays, reports).
• Select and structure reasons consistently.
• Use logical order and effective language.

Skills and Attitudes for Critical Thinking

• Underlying thinking skills: categorizing, analysis, selection, differentiation, comparing, contrasting, curiosity, knowledge, and research.
• Emotional self-management: being able to remain calm and argue your point convincingly in spite of challenging evidence, and not taking critique personally.
• Becoming more self-aware: courage to question one's perspective, and the courage to argue an alternative point of view even if it is wrong.
• Skills and attitudes require comprehensive analysis which excludes no aspect of the topic.

Barriers to Critical Thinking

• Lack of critical thinking abilities, methods, or practice.
• Overestimating one's own reasoning abilities: Getting by with poor reasoning, were never told of the reasoning being poor, or winning arguments due to opponents yielding.
• Reluctance to critique experts, and perceived rudeness or nonsensicality of criticism of practitioners.

Affective Reasons for Barriers to Critical Thinking

• Lack of emotional self-management: Issues like emotional reactions (anger, frustration, anxiety) when presented with challenging evidence and inability to consider multiple perspectives or acknowledge good reasoning from other perspectives
• Students preferring facts and answers rather than skills to make judgements or struggling insufficient focus for learning complex skills to make well-reasoned judgements

Reflection Questions

• Do you use critical thinking in your life?
• Give examples of instances when you used critical thinking in the last week?
• Which critical reasoning do you use to make your arguments?
• What are the steps you should use to perform critical thinking?

References

• Dr. Banan Mukhalalati's lecture on critical thinking in 2023
• Cottrell, 2005, Critical Thinking Skills Developing Effective Analysis and Argument text book

Test your understanding of the key concepts and skills involved in critical thinking. This quiz covers various perspectives, evaluating arguments, and the importance of evidence-based conclusions. Enhance your ability to engage in thoughtful analysis and reflection.