Think Critically Before You “Share”

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Dr. Taryn A. Myers, Virginia Wesleyan College

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Your Situation

Critical thinking

The process of weighing various pieces of evidence, synthesizing them, and determining the contributions of each; disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.

Pseudopsychology

An approach to explaining and predicting behavior and events that appears to be psychology but has no empirical or objective evidence to support it.

...is skeptical

Critical thinkers reserve judgment and may even doubt a claim until they adequately investigate its usefulness.

...thinks deeply

Critical thinkers take the time to consider the information before reacting.

...evaluates claims using existing knowledge

Critical thinkers use the knowledge that is already published in the scientific literature to determine whether the information is valid.

...asks questions

Critical thinkers ask questions about any information presented using existing scientific knowledge, the writings of an expert in the field, or even a simple Web search.

...considers alternative explanations

Critical thinkers consider other possible reasons why the claim could exist.

...reflects on own emotional reactions

Critical thinkers do not allow their emotions to cloud their judgment when evaluating information.

...tolerates uncertainty

Critical thinkers recognize that psychology is a young science, so we are constantly discovering new information, but there are still many unanswered questions.

...is open-minded

Critical thinkers approach information in a neutral way, and do not allow their preconceived notions to color how they view the content in front of them.

Hypothesis

A statement that can be used to test a prediction.

Variables

Measurable characteristics that can vary over time or across people.

Sample

A subset of a population chosen for inclusion in an experiment.

Smartphone with social media site. There is an article heading Top 5 ways to unlock the other 90% of your brain!

You are scrolling through your favorite social media site when you see an article that one of your friends shared. The headline is about psychology and looks interesting, so your gut reaction is to share it, too.

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What You Need to Know

Although this link looks interesting, it might not be accurate. Believe it or not, just because it is on the internet does not mean it is true! In order to decide whether you should hit that “Share” button, you should evaluate the article using a skill called critical thinking before you post. Doing so will help you to determine whether this article is good psychological science or whether the article is pseudopsychology.

What might be the result of sharing a link if it is pseudopsychology instead of accurate psychological science?

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You are starting to realize that critical thinking is important even in doing things that we all do every day—like sharing an interesting link on a social media site. But how can you be a good critical thinker? What attributes do people who are good critical thinkers display?

Click on each of the attributes of a critical thinker for more information.

Attributes of a critical thinker are written