Obstacles to Critical Thinking & Frame of Reference

What are the eight standards of thought?

1. Clarity

2. Accuracy

3. Precision

4. Relevance

5. Depth

6. Breadth

7. Logic

8. Fairness

clarity

a statement that is a clear expression of what you are trying to convey

accuracy

a statement that is a true and correct expression

precision

a statement that is specific and detailed

relevance

a statement that is connected and has meaning to the issue

depth

a statement that addresses complexities of the issue

breadth

a statement addresses every side and pov

logic

connecting and supporting a combination of thoughts into order

fairness

representing other viewpoints when expressing the statements

what are the eight elements of thoughts?

1. purpose of thinking

2. question at issue

3. information

4. concepts

5. assumptions

6. point of view

7. interpretation and interference

8. implications and consequences

purpose of thinking

goals and objectives

question at issue

problem at hand

infomation

data, facts, observations, descriptions, experiences

concepts

theories, definitions, laws, principles, morals

assumptions

presuppositions, taking things for granted

point of view

frame of reference, perspective, orientations

interpretations and interference

conclusions and solutions

implications and consequences

results of decisions or actions (or lack thereof)

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

1. self-actualization

2. self-esteem

3. social

4. safety

5. physiological

self-actualization

act authentically

self-esteem

admired and respected

social

trust, love, and belonging

safety

protected

physiological

sleep, hunger, thirst, housing

what are the obstacles to critcal thinking?

1. unmet survival needs

2. prejudice, bias, oppression

3. unreflect acceptance of cultural attitudes

4. societal acceptance

5. blind obedience

6. loaded language

7. habit and conformity

8. self-esteem

9. limited access to information

10. limited perspective

how can unmet survival needs affect crtical thinking?

one can not focus on thinking straight if there are more pressing issues at hand

how can prejudice, bias, and oppression affect critical thinking?

1. prejudice can have someone blindly carry negative assumptions against groups without thinking further as to why

2. bias can have someone form a opinion without real evidence as to why

3. oppression can have someone blindly dismissing something based on prejudice

how can sterotyping affect critcal thinking?

someone will reject something based on cultural attitudes

how can blind obedience affect critical thinking?

someone may not question what they are being told due to blind trust in the authority that tells them

how can loaded language affect critical thinking?

people can use words or phrases to affect other’s opinion

how can habit and conformity affect critical thinking?

habit and conformity can cause someone to brush something off because it is not what they are used to

how can self-esteem affect critical thinking?

a lack of confidence in someone can discourage them from trying or thinking about new things

how can a limited access to information affect critical thinking?

not having information can affect someone's viewpoint

how can a limited perspective affect critical thinking?

focusing on only one side of the argument can stunt one’s thinking

frame of reference

how someone interprets their view of the world and life

what affects someone’s frame of reference?

education, political leading, life experiences

cognitive humility

acknowledging that your viewpoint is not the only viewpoint that exists

Overton window

a new idea can be scary or radical to other people’s frame of reference, but will overtime will become more accepted

how can you change your viewpoint?

put yourself in someone’s shoes, be empathic

pluralism

having two ideas on something at the same time

when looking at the frame of reference, what should you consider?

1. consider the source

2. socio-economic class and education level

3. culture and ethnicity

4. age

5. biological gender and gender identity

6. moral and ethnical codes

syntax

sentence structure

latin root word

the base part of a word and its basic form

prefix

a word added to the beginning of a root word

suffix

a word part added to the ending of a root word

semantics

the understanding of the words and what the words signify or imply

denotation

the actual definition

connotation

what the word symbolizes or suggests that it means

synonyms

words that have similar meaning

antoonyms

words that have opposite meaning

homonyms

words that have the same spelling and pronunciations but differ in meaning

homophones

words that have same pronunciation but are spelled different

homographs

words that are pronounced differently but are spelled the same

simile

figurative expression that makes an explicit comparsion

metaphor

figurative expression in which one notion is described in terms normally associated with another notion, as an implicit comparsion

idiom

a group of words established by common usage that present a figurative meaning which cannot be determined from the literal use of the words

buzzwords/jargon

terminology of a specific profession

dysphemism

slants words in a negative way

euphemism

slants the words in a postive way

descriptive language

language that can cause a positive or negative depiction of what or who is being described

colorful language

language that invokes visual imagery

culture

a set of norms that set standards for a society of what is acceptable behavior

how can language evolve over time?

• historical and world events

• generational gaps

• slang/pop culture

• innovations and technology

• regional differences