Identifying Critical Thinking Hindrances

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Identifying Critical Thinking Hindrances
This tutorial will give you practice in
recognizing four common critical thinking
hindrances egocentrism, sociocentrism,
unwarranted assumptions and stereotypes, and
wishful thinking.
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In a 1989 international study of 13-year-olds,
Koreans finished first in mathematics and
Americans finished last. Yet when asked whether
they thought they were "good at mathematics,"
only 23 percent of Koreans said "yes," compared
to 68 percent of Americans.
Based on what you have learned in this chapter,
which critical thinking hindrance do the American
youngsters in this study demonstrate?
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In a 1989 international study of 13-year-olds,
Koreans finished first in mathematics and
Americans finished last. Yet when asked whether
they thought they were "good at mathematics,"
only 23 percent of Koreans said "yes," compared
to 68 percent of Americans.
Egocentrism.
Egocentrism is self-centered thinking. Chapter 1
discusses two major forms of egocentrism
self-interested thinking and self-serving bias.
Which form of egocentrism do the American
students exhibit self-interested thinking or
self-serving bias?
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In a 1989 international test of 13-year-olds,
Koreans finished first in mathematics and
Americans finished last. Yet when asked whether
they thought they were "good at mathematics,"
only 23 percent of Koreans said "yes," compared
to 68 percent of Americans.
Self-serving bias.
Self-serving bias is the tendency to overrate
oneself--to be overly confident of one's
knowledge, abilities, or good fortune.
The American students in this study certainly
don't lack "self-esteem." What they do lack is a
proper sense of how little they know about
mathematics.
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Muhammad Ali speaking in Zaire, Africa
"There's no country as great as the smallest
city in America. I mean here in Zaire you
can't watch television. The water won't even run
right. The toilets won't flush. The roads, the
cars there's nothing as great as America."
Based on your reading of this chapter, what type
of critical thinking hindrance does Muhammad Ali
display in this passage? .
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Muhammad Ali speaking in Zaire, Africa
"There's no country as great as the smallest city
in America. I mean here in Zaire you can't
watch television. The water won't even run right.
The toilets won't flush. The roads, the
cars--there's nothing as great as America."
Sociocentrism.
Sociocentrism is group-centered thinking, i.e.,
thinking that is excessively influenced by group
standards of conduct or belief.
Chapter 1 discusses two major forms of
sociocentrism group bias and the herd instinct.
What form of sociocentrism does Ali display in
this passage group bias or the herd instinct?
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Muhammad Ali speaking in Zaire, Africa
"There's no country as great as the smallest city
in America. I mean here in Zaire you can't
watch television. The water won't even run right.
The toilets won't flush. The roads, the
cars--there's nothing as great as America.
Group bias.
Group bias is the tendency to think more highly
of one's nation, race, school, family, or other
social group than is warranted by the evidence.
In saying, for example, that "there's no country
as great as the smallest city in America," Ali is
clearly overstating the comparative virtues of
his own country, and thus is guilty of group
bias.
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Sexually active bisexual Ill never get AIDS.
Im a very intuitive person. I would sense it if
someone had something as degenerative as the AIDS
virus.
Based on your reading of this chapter, what
critical thinking hindrance does this person
exhibit?
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Sexually active bisexual Ill never get AIDS.
Im a very intuitive person. I would sense if
someone had something as degenerative as the AIDS
virus.
Wishful thinking.
Wishful thinking occurs when a person believes
that something is true, not because they have
good reasons for the belief, but because they
wish it were true.
Persons who engage in risky sexual activity often
kid themselves in thinking, It wont happen to
me.
Notice that this is also a case of self-serving
bias. This person is overly confident of his or
her ability to know intuitively when a
potential sexual partner has the AIDS virus.
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Ed My friend Dirk is a college sophomore at a
state university in upstate New York. He is
blonde, loves surfing, and has a very laid-back
personality.   Mary I bet hes from California.
Based on your reading of this chapter, which
critical thinking hindrance does Mary exhibit?
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Ed My friend Dirk is a college sophomore at a
state university in upstate New York. He is
blonde, loves surfing, and has a very laid-back
personality.   Mary I bet hes from California.
Stereotyping.
Having blonde hair, enjoying surfing, and having
a laid-back personality are qualities people
stereotypically associate with Californians--and
this despite the fact that a majority of
Californians are not Caucasians. But of course
many people who are not from California also have
these three qualities. And given that Dirk
attends a state university in upstate New York,
it is unlikely, in fact, that he comes from
California.
This is the end of the tutorial