Chapter 1: Critical Thinking

Question 1

Thinking

Answer 1

“Activity of the brain that can potentially be expressed in speaking or writing.”

Question 2

Thinking Refers To..

Answer 2

The process of creating a structured series of connective transactions between items of perceived information

Question 3

Styles of Thinking

Answer 3

1. Linear - US and Northern Europe
2. Digressive - Roman Language speakers
3. Circular - Asian people
4. Semitic - Arab and Hebrew speakers

Question 4

Linear thinking

Answer 4

Left brain dominant
Prefer a very structured approach to learning, following step-by-step approach, where a step must be elicited before another step is taken
Math and accounting are considered linear subjects
Is to continue to look at something from one point of view

Question 5

Digressive Thinking

Answer 5

The person is ending to depart from the main point.
Synonymous to rambling
Act/instance of departing from the central topic/line of argument while speaking or writing is often seen in an individual from the Romance languages and occurs usually temporarily

Question 6

Circular Thinking

Answer 6

Person is engaged in a chain of thought resulted from the original thought that led to another thought, led to another thought, ect which will ultimately return to the original thought
Cultures engaged in this type of thinking have a tendency to provide a lot of background info and reach their main point at the end of writing or speech

Question 7

Semitic Thinking

Answer 7

Person is engaged in some deliberate repetition

Ex: speakers or writers may engage in parallelism, stating the same points in various ways

Question 8

Critical Thinking Characteristics

Answer 8

1. Identifying and challenging assumptions
2. Challenging the importance of context
3. Trying to imagine and explore alternatives
4. Reflective skepticism

Question 9

Nature of Critical Thinking

Answer 9

1. Self improvement
2. Systematic evaluation of arguments based on explicit rational criteria
3. Awareness of a set of interrelated key/right questions
4. Ability to ask and answer key/right questions at appropriate time
5. Desire to actively use the right/key questions
6. Not simply absorbing (sponge) but actively evaluating (panning)
7. Dissecting, analyzing, and sifting through streams of info