critical thinking helps clear away confusion by doing which of the following

Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Matters

Defining critical thinking dispositions and why they’re crucial..

Posted September 23, 2024 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• Another way to think about and measure critical thinking is to include aspects of motivational dispositions.
• Dispositions include open-mindedness and a willingness to be reflective when evaluating information.
• People scoring low in critical thinking dispositions tend to “keep it simple” when something is complex.
• Critical thinking dispositions help individuals avoid oversimplification and can facilitate awareness of bias.

Critical thinking springs from the notion of reflective thought proposed by Dewey (1933), who borrowed from the work of philosophers such as William James and Charles Peirce. Reflective thought was defined as the process of suspending judgment, remaining open-minded, maintaining a healthy skepticism, and taking responsibility for one’s own development (Gerber et al., 2005; Stoyanov & Kirshner, 2007).

Kurland (1995) suggested, “Critical thinking is concerned with reason, intellectual honesty, and open-mindedness, as opposed to emotionalism, intellectual laziness, and closed-mindedness. Thus, critical thinking involves… considering all possibilities… being precise; considering a variety of possible viewpoints and explanations; weighing the effects of motives and biases; being concerned more with finding the truth than with being right…being aware of one’s own prejudices and biases” (p. 3). Thus, being able to perspective-take and becoming conscious of one’s own biases are potential benefits of critical thinking capacities.

Reviews of the critical thinking literature (e.g., Bensley, 2023) suggest that the assessment of this construct ought to include aspects of motivational dispositions. Numerous frameworks of critical thinking dispositions have been proposed (e.g., Bensley, 2018; Butler & Halpern, 2019; Dwyer, 2017); some commonly identified dispositions are open-mindedness, intellectual engagement, and a proclivity to take a reflective stance or approach to evaluating information and the views and beliefs of both oneself and others. Demir (2022) posited that critical thinking dispositions reflect persons’ attitudes toward and routine ways of responding to new information and diverging ideas, willingness to engage in nuanced and complex rather than either/or reductionistic thinking, and perseverance in attempts to understand and resolve complex problems.

Other examples of dispositions are inquisitiveness, open-mindedness, tolerance for ambiguity, thinking about thinking, honesty in assessing or evaluating biases, and willingness to reconsider one’s own views and ways of doing things (Facione et al., 2001). Individual personality attributes associated with these proclivities include a need for cognition (a desire for intellectual stimulation), which is positively associated with critical thinking, and the need for closure (a motivated cognitive style in which individuals prefer predictability, firm answers, and rapid decision making ) and anti-intellectualism (a resentment of “the life of the mind” and those who represent it), both negatively associated with critical thinking.

Further, an ideological component that can impede critical thinking is dogmatism . In addition, rigid, dichotomous thinking impedes critical thinking in that it oversimplifies the complexity of social life in a pluralistic society (Bensley, 2023; Cheung et al., 2002; Halpern & Dunn, 2021) and tries to reduce complicated phenomena and resolve complex problems via “either/or” formulations and simplistic solutions.

In other words, folks with low critical thinking dispositions would tend to “keep it simple” when something is really quite complicated, and think it absolute terms and categories rather than seeing “the gray” in between the black and white extremes.

In sum, critical thinking dispositions are vitally important because they may help individuals avoid oversimplifying reality; they also permit perspective-taking and can facilitate their awareness of diversity and systematic biases, such as racial or gender bias . Some research has indicated that critical thinking dispositions uniquely contribute to academic performance beyond general cognition (Ren et al., 2020), and may help to reduce unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy beliefs (Bensley, 2023; Lantian et al., 2021).

But before we can study the potential impact of critical thinking dispositions, it is necessary to have a reliable, valid, and hopefully brief measure for this construct. I will discuss the development and validation of a measure of critical thinking dispositions in another post.

Bensley, D.A. ( 2023.) Critical thinking, intelligence, and unsubstantiated beliefs: An integrative review. Journal of Intelligence, 1 , 207. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11110207

Bensley, D.A. (2018). Critical thinking in psychology and everyday life: A guide to effective thinking . New York: Worth Publishers.

Butler, H.A., & Halpern, D.F. (2019). Is critical thinking a better model of intelligence? In Robert J. Sternberg (Ed.) The Nature of Intelligence (pp. 183–96). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cheung, C.-K, Rudowicz. E., Kwan, A., & Yue, X.. (2002). Assessing university students’ general and specific criticalthinking. College Student Journal, 36 , 504 – 25.

Demir, E. (2022). An examination of high school students’ critical thinking dispositions and analytical thinking skills. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6 , 190–200. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202217357

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process . Lexington: Heath and Company.

Dwyer, C. P. (2017). Critical thinking: Conceptual perspectives and practical guidelines . Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Facione, P., Facione, N,C,, & Giancarlo, C.A.F. (2001(. California Critical Disposition Inventory . Millbrae: California Academic Press.

Gerber, S., Scott, L., Clements, D.H., & Sarama, J. (2005). Instructor influence on reasoned argument in discussion boards. Educational Technology, Research & Development, 53 , 25–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504864

Halpern, D. F., & Dunn, D.S. (2021). Critical thinking: A model of intelligence for solving real-world problems. Journal of Intelligence, 9 , 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence9020022

Kurland, D. (1995). I know what it says… What does it mean? Critical skills for critical reading . Belmont: Wadsworth.

Lantian, A., Bagneux, V., Delouvee, S., & Gauvrit, N. (2021). Maybe a free thinker but not a critical one: High conspiracybelief is associated with low critical thinking ability. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35 , 674 – 84. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3790

Ren, X., Tong, Y., Peng, P. & Wang, T. (2020). Critical thinking predicts academic performance beyond general cognitiveability: Evidence from adults and children. Intelligence, 82 , 101487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2020.101487

Stoyanov, S., & Kirschner, P. ( 2007). Effect of problem solving support and cognitive styles on idea generation:Implications for technology-enhanced learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40 , 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2007.10782496

Kyle D. Killian, Ph.D., LMFT is the author of Interracial Couples, Intimacy and Therapy: Crossing Racial Borders.

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Critical Thinking: Basic Questions & Answers

What is Critical Thinking?

There are many definitions of critical thinking. Some of them are comprehensive, covering every aspect of what critical thinking includes, while others are concise, summarizing the essence of critical thinking in just a few words. Below are three examples:

• "Critical thinking is the process of making clear, reasoned judgments." — Beyer, 1995
• "Critical thinking is the ability to look at a situation and clearly understand it from multiple perspectives while separating facts from opinions, myths, prejudices, hunches (intuition), and assumptions." — Pearsons
• "It involves the ability to question assumptions, weigh evidence, and make logical decisions based on an evaluation of facts and options." — Pearsons

Two Elements of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking can be understood as consisting of two main elements:

1. How to Think Critically About an Issue

This element involves applying critical thinking to problem-solving and decision-making . When addressing problems or making decisions, it's important to use a critical thinking framework —a structured approach that ensures all aspects of the issue are properly evaluated. This framework typically includes:

• Defining the issue or problem clearly
• Gathering relevant evidence
• Analyzing the evidence
• Generating and shortlisting potential solutions
• Considering assumptions, implications, and stakeholder views
• Planning for implementation and assessing implementation risks

2. How to Think Critically

This element focuses on the quality of thinking itself . While many people associate critical thinking only with problem-solving and decision-making, the way we think—how we approach issues, process information, and reason through arguments—determines the quality of the outcomes. Developing the skill of thinking critically involves refining how we evaluate information, question assumptions, and engage in logical reasoning.

The relationship between how to think critically and how to think critically about an issue is similar to the relationship between science and engineering. Just as science is about understanding the underlying principles of the world, and engineering applies that understanding to solve practical problems, how we think critically forms the foundation upon which we apply critical thinking to tackle specific issues or make decisions.

What Do You Need to Learn to Become a Critical Thinker?

We often recognize the absence of critical thinking when we witness poor decisions or someone jumping to conclusions with the first solution that comes to mind. Yet, despite its importance, critical thinking is rarely explicitly defined or taught—whether in schools, universities, or workplaces.

At its core, critical thinking is applied common sense. It involves making clear, reasoned judgments about claims, issues, or solutions to problems. Some also define it as determining whether a claim is true or false. Others offer more complex definitions, such as Fisher and Scriven's view: "Critical thinking is skilled, active evaluation of observations, communications, information, and arguments."

While these definitions are useful, they often fail to communicate what critical thinking looks like in practice or how it benefits us in the workplace, education, or daily life. To fully understand critical thinking, it's important to break it down into its key elements and see how they apply in various real-world situations.

Key Elements of Critical Thinking

1. logical reasoning.

Much like an accountant needs to know the debit-credit system, critical thinkers need to understand basic reasoning processes. There are three primary types of reasoning: deductive, inductive, and causal reasoning. Inductive and causal reasoning are the most commonly applied in work, education, and everyday decision-making.

2. Clear Thinking and Communication

Critical thinking requires precision in both thought and communication. When terms are poorly defined, or when vague or ambiguous language is used, discussions can quickly devolve into miscommunication and confusion. Learning to think and communicate clearly—by defining terms and eliminating ambiguity—helps avoid these pitfalls.

3. Evaluating Credibility

Whether evaluating suppliers, colleagues, or external experts, assessing credibility is a key part of decision-making. How much weight should we give to the opinions and recommendations of others? By applying a set of principles to evaluate credibility, we can make more informed and accurate judgments.

Elements That Obstruct Critical Thinking

1. rhetoric.

In critical thinking, rhetoric refers to the use of language designed to evoke emotions and persuade rather than reason logically. While emotionally charged language can be powerful, it can also cloud judgment, pushing us to make decisions based on feelings rather than facts. Recognizing rhetorical devices helps us resist being swayed by emotions.

2. Fallacies

Fallacies are errors in reasoning that lead to mistaken beliefs. These logical missteps occur frequently, even among well-educated individuals. By learning to recognize common fallacies, such as "ad hominem" attacks or "false dilemmas," we can avoid falling into faulty reasoning traps.

3. Cognitive Biases

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking caused by the way our brains process information. Unlike fallacies, which stem from mistakes in logical reasoning, cognitive biases arise from errors in perception, memory, or processing. Biases like confirmation bias or availability bias can distort judgment, even when we are aware of them. Mitigating their influence often requires using data and seeking external perspectives.