EM

Big Six Critical Research Skills and Critical Thinking: Quick Reference

The Big Six Critical Research Skills

  • Task Definition: Identify information needed; define the information problem; shape/redefine research requirements; determine resources and responsibilities.
  • Information-Seeking Strategies: Brainstorm sources (books, websites, interviews, films, etc.); evaluate sources; prioritize; select best sources for the project.
  • Location and Access: Locate sources physically and intellectually; set up interviews; search catalogs/databases; identify relevant chapters/pages.
  • Use of Information: Engage with sources; extract relevant information; take notes that support the information problem.
  • Synthesis: Organize information from multiple sources; create an outline; integrate evidence to present a coherent argument or project.
  • Evaluation: Assess results and process; check premises, relevance, sufficiency, and biases; consider alternative perspectives and the quality of evidence.

Critical Thinking: Core Concepts

  • Critical thinking definition: purposeful, reasoned, and goal-directed thinking that increases the probability of a desirable outcome. (Halpern, 2003)
  • Well-cultivated critical thinker: raises vital questions, gathers and assesses relevant information, interprets it, arrives at well-reasoned conclusions, tests them against criteria, remains open-minded to alternatives, and communicates solutions effectively. (Elder & Elder, 2001)
  • Key aim: identify, evaluate, and synthesize information to justify conclusions.

Critical Thinking Models

  • Cottrell model (core CT skills):
    • Identify others’ positions, arguments, and conclusions
    • Evaluate evidence for alternative viewpoints
    • Weigh opposing arguments fairly
    • Read between the lines; identify faulty arguments
    • Recognize persuasive techniques (rhetorical devices, false logic)
    • Reflect systematically on logic and insight
    • Draw justifiable conclusions based on good evidence and assumptions
    • Synthesize evidence to create your own argument
    • Challenge your own assumptions and test them
  • Gerras’ six-step CT process (overview):
    • Clarify Concern
    • Point of View
    • Assumptions
    • Inferences
    • Evaluation of Information
    • Implications

Step 1: Clarify Concern

  • The argument’s core message and what the author is trying to tell us
  • Identify the perspective or point of view
  • Gather reasons the author uses to persuade; recognize sub-components
  • Avoid oversimplification; set out the argument broadly to avoid losing useful elements

Step 2: Point of View

  • Consider the author’s discipline/background and how it shapes the writing
  • Reflect on your own viewpoint and biases; be self-aware of egocentric tendencies
  • Egocentric tendencies (noted in military/cultural contexts): memory (forgetting conflicting information), myopia (narrow view), righteousness (feeling you’ve got the answer), blindness (ignoring contrary evidence)
  • Distinguish disagreements from critical arguments; not all disagreement constitutes critical thinking

Step 3: Assumptions

  • Identify explicit and implicit assumptions the author makes
  • Are assumptions stated or hidden? Do they affect conclusions?
  • Are some assumptions unreasonable or false within the context?
  • Question whether the argument relies on unproven premises

Step 4: Inference

  • Inference = drawing logical conclusions from evidence
  • Link evidence to conclusions; identify gaps
  • Consider alternative explanations that the same evidence could support
  • Common pitfalls: jumping to conclusions; confounding correlation with causation; overgeneralization; ignoring counterevidence

Step 5: Evaluation of Information

  • Assess how findings were generated and whether premises are true, acceptable, relevant, and sufficient
  • Look for heuristics and logical fallacies that weaken the argument
  • Be mindful of biases that skew evaluation (e.g., confirmation bias; fundamental attribution error)
  • Ensure reasoning is sound and evidence supports the conclusions
  • Be aware of common mistakes in assumptions (see Cotrell’s list below)

Step 5: Common Mistakes in Assumptions (Cotrell-style)

  • Assuming a causal link without justification
  • Making false correlations
  • Failing to meet necessary/sufficient conditions in arguments
  • Making false analogies; invalid comparisons
  • Deflecting by language to imply proof
  • Excluding objections by inclusion/exclusion of groups
  • Misrepresenting or trivialising opposing arguments

Step 6: Implications

  • What follows if the argument is true?
  • Consider intended and unintended outcomes; short-term vs long-term effects
  • Identify who benefits and who is harmed

The Big Six: Detailed Quick Reference

  • Task Definition: Define information problem; determine required resources; clarify responsibilities.
  • Information-Seeking Strategies: Brainstorm sources; evaluate and prioritize; select best sources.
  • Location and Access: Locate sources; plan access (libraries, databases, interviews).
  • Use of Information: Engage with content; extract and note relevant information.
  • Synthesis: Organize, integrate, and package information for use by others.
  • Evaluation: Critically evaluate results and process; assess premises, biases, and soundness.

Bloom’s Taxonomy (Overview for Study Planning)

  • 1. Remember: recall facts, definitions, and basic concepts
    • Verbs: define, duplicate, list, memorize, repeat, state
  • 2. Understand: explain ideas or concepts
    • Verbs: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, translate
  • 3. Apply: use information in new situations
    • Verbs: execute, implement, solve, use, interpret, demonstrate, operate, schedule, sketch
  • 4. Analyze: break information into parts; understand structure
    • Verbs: differentiate, organize, relate, compare, contrast, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test
  • 5. Evaluate: justify a decision or viewpoint
    • Verbs: appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, critique, weight
  • 6. Create: produce new or original work
    • Verbs: design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate

Survivorship Bias

  • Definition: focus on winners or successful cases while ignoring failures; leads to biased conclusions and faulty inferences
  • Also a logical fallacy when drawing conclusions from a non-representative sample

Why This Is Important in Industry

  • Assess arguments and facts; use evidence to support positions
  • Form opinions on issues with justification
  • Develop a repeatable research workflow
  • Consider multiple perspectives and evidence
  • Identify essential information quickly for decision-making