A500.5.1.RB - Critical Thinking about Critical Thinking

Hey, hey again! 😊 Welcome back to another week on my blog. So far, we have seen a lot in terms of critical thinking and leadership and I am about to reflect more on this subject. For this blog entry, I will be assessing how my thinking has changed in light of these critical thinking concepts. Hope you find something worth learning from my personal growth!

Take some time to reflect on the current state of your critical thinking competencies. Consider your thinking processes when you started the course. Have they changed at all?

Before I started this course, my way of thinking had been heavily influenced by the scientific process. This was due to having a strong ability and inclination to the math and science fields at a young age. This tendency was further nurtured by being involved in elementary and junior high school science fairs. By being able to successfully develop an experiment and be recognized by winning awards for my work as a kid helped to further spark my interest and confidence in this area. These events led me towards taking more challenging math and science classes as I progressed academically to obtain my degree in Physics and land my job as a scientist for the military.

In science, the way of finding out the answer to a question is to form an experiment. This method is usually inspired from our own observations that prompts us to ask a question. From this question, we can infer or deduce a plausible outcome or make an educated guess known as a hypothesis. From this, we can develop an experiment to test this possibility through falsifiability to either confirm or reject the hypothesis.

Photo: The scientific process shown as a diagram (HowStuffWorks, 2017).

The steps of the scientific process correlate to many of the elements and standards of critical thinking. According to Nosich (2012, p. 5), the three parts of critical thinking include asking questions, answering the questions with reason, and then believing the results. This relates to the scientific process where ‘asking the question’ corresponds to observations and questioning. The ‘answering the question with reason’ relates to the development of the hypothesis and experiment to be tested out. Lastly, ‘believing the results’ is similar to accepting or rejecting the original hypothesis.

Many of the elements of reasoning such as information through gathering data, evidence, and observations is heavily used in science (Nosich, p. 55). This element along with others such as assumptions, context, and concepts can help a scientist come up with a more robust and logical hypothesis. This can be further reasoned through the standards of thinking such as accuracy or depth and breadth to help filter out fallible reasoning.

This way of thinking through the scientific processes is where my mindset was when I started the course. I would typically observe and analyze things, but just from a more scientific scrutiny point of view. This course made the methodology of critical thinking more applicable to all other areas of knowledge and not only limited to just scientific reasoning. It helped to clarify the elements and standards and showed the different dimensions and tools to use for critical thinking. Overall, it just helped to cement these ideas and give it more depth and clarity to understand each component of critical thought.

Have you been able to internalize any of the techniques and concepts you have learned?

From this class, I have been able to internalize the differences between each standard and element of critical thinking. Before, it was more of an open line of thought that aimed to be critical, but not in a completely thorough sense. My thinking was not thoroughly vetted and may have missed some critical element filters. Now, by having all of the standards and elements differentiated and explained, it has added definition and a more complete picture for how to critically think better. I have learned how to better analyze all types of observations and information that I come across every day from understanding the various standards and elements.

What will it take to make lasting, positive changes in the way you think?

In order to incorporate the various standards and elements more effectively in the way I think, it would take a constant effort to always be cognizant of the various tools for critical thinking. This would entail a constant stream of self-reflection and thought into all the various claims in order to find the best answer. By thinking effectively, it helps to dive deep into understanding fundamental and powerful concepts in different disciplines. This kind of insight can only be achieved by fully understanding the material on a fundamental level and critically assessing the information to gain insight to the ‘bigger picture.’ This constant awareness in refining my thought process will eventually become second nature and lasting in the way that I think. Thus, the more I practice critical thinking the better I will become at being a critical thinker.

On that note, I hope that you all will keep on aiming to use critical thinking techniques and apply them to questions and problems that are pertinent in your life. In this day and age with a plethora of information available, from fake news to breakthrough studies and news stories, it is important to not take things as they are and to reflect and assess them for the truths that they represent!

Take care and see you here next week! Keep on thinking on!! 💪

References

Harris, W. (2017). How the scientific method works. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-method6.htm

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: Critical thinking across the curriculum (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

A500.4.3.RB - Ballet Slippers or Adorable?

Welcome back! 😊 This week I will analyze and reflect on the lecture entitled 'The Art of Choosing' by Dr. Sheena Iyengar.

In this lecture, Dr. Iyengar (2010) gives three assumptions that most Americans typically agree with in regards to choice:

1. Make your own choices.
2. More options leads to better choices.
3. Never say no to choice.

Throughout the presentation, Dr. Iyengar gives examples as evidence on how Americans perceive choice as compared to other nations. She starts out with a story of her trip to Japan when she asks for some sugar with her green tea. From the waiter's perspective, sugar is inappropriate to add to green tea and kindly rejects the customer's request. This is because it is inappropriate in accordance to their cultural standards to add sugar into green tea. In the American ideal, requests are obliged when they are a paying customer with a reasonable request, but in Japan, it was their duty to protect was was culturally appropriate.

In a more controlled study, Dr. Iyengar found that Anglo-American kids did better when they made their own choices and that first-generation Asian-American kids did better when the choice was made by a respected figure such as their parents. In this concept of choice, success was connected in a collective sense for the first-generation Asian-American kids rather than an individual motivating factor as for the Anglo-American kids.

This relates to the first assumption given by Dr. Iyengar that finds choice can be perceived from either an individual or collective point of view. When a decision is seen as clearly divided from others, the responsibility is seen as personal, but if it is seen as associated with other individuals then the success is driven from a collective act. This difference in how choice is viewed changes the weight of the responsibility.

Sometimes choices are seen as the individual being responsible and other choices as being responsible as a group. In the American ideal, choice is seen as a private and self-defining act that has a lower focus on interdependence. Thus, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibilities and that factor alone helps to motivate to success. This view on choice may help drive some to be successful, but not everyone thrives on this pressure alone as shown in this study. Sometimes having the external drive to succeed is based on interdependence and a collective goal.

In the second assumption, having more choices should lead to better choices depending on how it is looked at. Dr. Iyengar found from personal communications in post-communist countries that some choices are grouped together because they are seen as trivial. For example, in America we see different soda brands (e.g. Coke-a-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite) as different choices, but in some cultures saw it as a single choice of just soda. To an extent, these people viewed these choices as artificial and unnecessary from a cultural standpoint.

By having an excessive amount of options can lead to too much information for one to sort through that can lead to confusion or frustration from the overwhelming variety. Dr. Iyengar points out that too much choice can ironically create limitations for those who are not prepared and can lead to poorer decisions.

Lastly, the third assumption is to never say no to choice. From the American ideal, individual choice is prized even when confronted with authority figures. Dr. Iyengar explains the results on how parents dealt with grief after making a life or death decision for their new born with a debilitating condition. In America, the final choice was the parents to make and in France, it was up to the doctors. A year later, coping with the event differed in that Americans were more negative in their emotions and the French were less so. From this perspective, the responsibility shifted from being individualized and deeply personal to a group decision from an authority figure in coping with the decision.

Overall, Dr. Iyengar provides thought-provoking points in thinking about choices in her lecture. She shows how the concept of choice can be viewed differently from a cultural standpoint as either a positive or a negative. Ultimately, Dr. Iyengar shows these three assumptions found prominently in American culture and contrasts it with other narratives from around the world.

Do you agree with Dr. Iyengar?
From the three assumptions that Dr. Iyengar defines as being the prominent features of American culture, I find that I agree with them to an extent. The success of America has been derived from the constitutional framework from our founding fathers. This country was built on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the freedoms that we have are preserved from the sacrifices of those who have served. The availability of choice is seen as an essential pillar for freedom in America. While it may have its downsides as Dr. Iyengar shows in her various examples, the positive outcomes outweighs the downsides. The freedom of choice allows an investment in the personal responsibility of its citizens that can be used to navigate our stories based on the hand that we are dealt.

The first assumption that we make our own choice does come at a price. We are able to choose and make our own decisions that can lead to our own successes or failures. We can speak our minds freely, but sometimes that comes with opinions that may differ from person to person. On a larger scale, there will be conversations filled with disagreements, but the ability to work through things one step at a time. It is part of our first amendment right that says: 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances' (Cornell Law School, 2017). We are able to question and dispute about nearly anything and make our voices heard. While there will be a lot of calamity at times, it is the sound of democracy at work. All the competing ideas and values may seem different on the surface, but are all part of the fabric of America.

In the second assumption, there can be a point where there can be too many choices that it ends up being trivial and superficial. However, with a free market, the less popular choices will eventually fade out of business due to competition. That is what is supposed to happen in a theoretical sense. However, sometimes shady practices to cut down cost can give a sketchy product that may appear to be wonderful. With the freedoms that we have, we can dispute these bad practices and bring them to light. It may not be immediate, but as the information grows and people become more informed these companies will be brought to justice. It can cause companies to become more transparent in their practices which is better for all of us as a whole.

Lastly, the third assumption is to never say no to choice. There are some difficult choices to be made and sometimes we want to defer them to experts or other people instead. The best that can be done is to hear the information, ask questions, and to let it sink in until it we can make the decision ourselves. It is an incredibly great responsibility of choice and having that allows us to to make impactful decisions. These decisions can shape our future for better or worse. The opportunity to be able to make choices like this is a blessing and curse because of the outcome that can follow. As long as we have our freedoms in the ability to ask, search, and understand, we would not want it any other way.

What is the implication of her comments on leadership?
In terms of leadership, the concept of choice and how it is applied can be viewed through action research. According to McNiff (2002), action research is the approach that encourages the person to be in control of their own life through self-reflection and self-evaluation. An action plan for action research includes:

1. Review current practice.
2. Identify aspect to investigate.
3. Imagine a way forward.
4. Try it out.
5. Monitor what happens.
6. Review and evaluate.

In a sense, the process and results of action research are the choices and decisions that we make to improve our own self and environment. From a leadership perspective, it is important to know how the decisions we make can influence policies and people in a short and long term way. The ability to self-reflect critically and allow vulnerability is important when embarking on action research because it grounds us (Bell, 1998). Action research allows us to take knowledge and advice, distill it to down to pertinent information, and then applied to our own situation at a personal and professional level. Dr. Iyengar's lecture shows that it is important to understand both the good and the bad with everything even as something as embedded in our culture as the freedom of choice.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read my blog! See you next week, but ultimately the choice is yours. 😉

References

Bell, Simon. (1998, April). Self-reflection and vulnerability in action research: Bringing forth new worlds in our learning. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 11(2), 179-190

Cornell Law School. (2017). U.S. constitution: First amendment. Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute. Retrieved on October 4, 2017 from https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

Iyengar, S. (2010, July 26). The art of choosing [Video File]. TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing

McNiff, J. (2002). Action research for professional development: Concise advise for new action. Retrieved October 3, 2017 from http://www.jeanmcniff.com/ar-booklet.asp