Using the Web to Enhance Critical Thinking About Psychology

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Using the Web to Enhance Critical Thinking About
Psychology

• Connie Varnhagen

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What do we mean by Critical Thinking?

• Knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding
  thinking, reasoning, and problem solving
• Propensity to apply these knowledge, skills, and
  attitudes

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Types of Critical Thinking

• Halonen
• Practical Critical Thinking
• Accurate, objective observation and analysis of
  everyday behavior
• Methodological Critical Thinking
• Understanding and interpretation (and
  application) of the scientific method
• Theoretical Critical Thinking
• Understanding and application of scientific
  explanations of behavior

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Promoting Critical Thinking

• Active learning
• Self-directed learning
• Constructed learning
• Problem-based learning
• Discussion
• Real-world context

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Realities in Many Classrooms

• Large classes
• Minimal resources
• Changing student demographics
• Changing student needs
• Increased pressures on faculty

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Functional Analysis of the Web for Promoting
Critical Thinking

• Disseminate information
• Students can critically evaluate information they
  obtain from the Web
• Communication
• Students can sharpen their critical thinking,
  reading, and writing skills
• Simulations and demonstrations
• Students can experience different environments

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Using the Web to Promote Practical Critical
Thinking

• Use the information dissemination function of the
  Web to have students read and critically evaluate
  arguments, e.g.,
• Recognize observer expectancy bias in facilitated
  communication
• Letter from a mother
• Skeptical site
• Balanced site

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Arguments for Observer-Expectancy

• I think that no matter how much everyone wants to
  believe in facilitated communication and no
  matter how great it would be if all autistic
  individuals could have the opportunity to
  communicate ... a lot more research must go into
  the idea because I think that facilitated
  communication is very much like the case of
  Clever Hans.
• No matter how much families want to believe it, I
  seriously believe there is nothing to support the
  validity of facilitated communication. Unless the
  children can communicate under test conditions
  (facilitator with no idea what question is being
  asked), then I can't bring myself to believe it
  works. The mother is really just hanging on to
  the hope that her son is expressing himself at a
  higher level than
• he actually is.

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Arguments against Observer-Expectancy

• Honestly it is impossible to determine if the
  autism experiment is an example of
  observer-expectancy bias. But, I do have hope for
  all things so it is hope that will make me
  believe that what has happened to Lenny is NOT
  and example of observer-expectancy bias.
• If it is helping the parents then what does it
  matter if the child is actually learning? even
  though it may or may not work it still serves a
  positive purpose. You don't have to believe in
  miracles to appreciate the happiness they cause.
  Fraud or not it still helps people and should be
  allowed to continue.

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Using the Web to Promote Practical Critical
Thinking

• Use the collaboration function of the Web to
  apply principles learned in class to real life,
  e.g.,
• Design a Christmas Web site that color blind
  people can still enjoy
• These guys did a great job
• This one is interesting
• This one would probably be fine for a color blind
  person

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Using the Web to PromoteMethodological Critical
Thinking

• Use the active learning function of the Web to
  understand how bias can affect experimental
  results, e.g.,
• How can subject expectancy effects bias
  questionnaire results?
• Lifestyle questionnaire

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Using the Web to PromoteMethodological Critical
Thinking

• Use the active learning function of the Web to
  distinguish inferences from observations, e.g.,
• What do you infer if you are more likely to
  associate Bush with bad/good than Gore with
  good/bad?
• Implicit Association Test

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Using the Web to PromoteTheoretical Critical
Thinking

• Use the incidental learning function of the Web
  to analyze a perspective or theory, e.g.,
• How does Negative Reinforcement University use
  negative reinforcement to teach principles of
  negative reinforcement?
• Negative Reinforcement University

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Using the Web to PromoteTheoretical Critical
Thinking

• Use the elaboration learning function of the Web
  to compare/contrast theories, e.g.,
• How do Piagetian and information processing
  theories differ in their explanations of
  cognitive processing?
• Combination of chemicals problem

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Summing Up

• Developing critical thinking skills (and the
  propensity to use them) is an important goal of
  psychology courses
• As resources dwindle, the Web may be used
  effectively for promoting critical thinking
• We must understand the type of critical thinking
  we are interested in as well as the functionality
  of the Web resource we want to use