3 Steps to

Exceptional
Critical
Thinking

Critical
Thinking
Toolkit
7827 Updated 11.2014

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Table of Contents
Pre-Work Assignment.....................................................................................................................................................1
The ContextThinkAct (CTA) Process............................................................................................................................2
ThinkingRED Model.......................................................................................................................................................3
Recognizing AssumptionsPsychological Factors..........................................................................................................4
Evaluating Weak ArgumentsCommon Patterns..........................................................................................................5
Drawing ConclusionsPsychological Factors..................................................................................................................6
The Seven Thinking Styles...............................................................................................................................................7
Integrating RED Skills and Thinking Styles....................................................................................................................8
Applying Your Thinking Styles and the RED Model to a Real Work Situation............................................................9
RED Model.....................................................................................................................................................................10

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Pre-Work Assignment
My Thinking Styles Online Assessment
Instructions: In preparation for the 3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking course, please take 20 minutes to
complete the My Thinking Styles online assessment. Make sure you download the Development Report results
and either print it or have it available during the course.
(The link to this online assessment was previously e-mailed to you. If you have not completed this assessment yet,
please do so NOW. You will need the results from this assessment during this course).

My Thinking Styles Online Assessment Development Report

This assessment provides a benchmark of your current critical thinking skills. Through scenarios, the assessment
provides feedback on how you handle problems, statements, arguments, and interpretations of data in
situations similar to those you encounter on a daily basis at work.
This personal development report and tools and techniques will help you develop an action plan to improve
your critical thinking skills for future career success.

What is a work situation you are trying to resolve right now?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My Thinking Styles is a trademark of Pearson Education, Inc.

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

The ContextThinkAct (CTA) Process*

The ContextThinkAct (CTA) Process shows that to implement critical thinking, you must consider your
organizational and business environment and identify what actions will follow from your thinking

CONTEXT:
Timeframe
People/Personalities
Latitude for Change
THINK:
Short- or long-term solution
Options
Impact
ACT:
What type of action
Who can help
Whom and how to persuade
*Copyright 2009 NCS Pearson, Inc. Adapted and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.

American Management Association. All rights reserved.

3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

ThinkingRED Model*
We will concentrate on the thinking component of the CTA process. We will break the thinking steps into an
additional three parts: The RED Model of critical thinking.
There are three types of mental activity associated with critical thinking: Recognizing Assumptions; Evaluating
Arguments, and Drawing Conclusions.

Thats what critical thinking is all about!

*Copyright 2009 NCS Pearson, Inc. Adapted and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. Recognizing AssumptionsPsychological
Factors.

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

There are certain psychological factors that create biases and cloud our ability to recognize assumptions. Below are
three of the most common psychological factors.
ATMOSPHERIC EFFECT

ATMOSPHERIC EFFECT

BELIEF BIAS
Description
Pre-existing beliefs interfere with your
ability to think critically. You imagine
data that is not there and draw a
false conclusion.

CONFIRMATION BIAS
Description
Looking only at evidence that supports
a conclusion you want to reach.

BELIEF BIAS
Keep in Mind
Check your reaction. Ask yourself if
there is something else influencing
your response in a certain direction
and if anything seems oddly out of sync.

CONFIRMATION BIAS
Keep in Mind

To question assumptions and really

draw the right conclusion, you must
seek evidence that opposes what you
want to do, and figure out how to address
that evidence.

GAMBLERS FALLACY

Description

Believing that because an event hasnt

occurred recently, it probably wont
happen any time soon; OR believing that
because an event has happened recently,
it cant repeat any time soon.

GAMBLERS FALLACY

Keep in Mind

Fear and avoidance are very compelling

psychological factors. Ask yourself if
youre allowing fear to get in the way
of facing reality. Adequate research helps
avoid this pit-fall.
7827_LXL_005

Bias
Belief Bias

Description
Pre-existing beliefs interfere with your
ability to think critically. You imagine
data that is not there and draw a false
conclusion.

Keep In Mind
Check your reaction. Ask yourself if
there is something else influencing
your response in a certain direction
and if anything seems oddly out of
sync.

Confirmation Looking only at evidence that supports

Bias
a conclusion you want to reach.

To question assumptions and really

draw the right conclusion, you must
seek evidence that opposes what you
want to do, and figure out how to
address that evidence.

Believing that because an event hasnt

occurred recently, it probably wont
happen any time soon; OR believing
that because an event has happened
recently, it cant repeat any time soon.

Fear and avoidance are very

compelling psychological factors. Ask
yourself if youre allowing fear to get
in the way of facing reality. Adequate
research helps avoid this pit-fall.

Gamblers
Fallacy

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Evaluating Weak ArgumentsCommon Patterns

When someone is presenting their argument or rationale for a specific fact, there are patterns that you can
memorize to recognize weak arguments. The three patterns listed below are helpful in quickly evaluating
arguments.

Ad Hoc
Reasoning
PATTERN 6

Circular
Reasoning
PATTERN 5

Description
of Behavior

Description
of Behavior

An ad hoc is an attempt to
persuade you at any cost. No
matter what objection you bring
up, the other person will find an
explanation to invalidate the
objection. (Note: In order for a
conclusion to be true, there must
be some circumstance under which
it could be false; otherwise, there is
no way of telling the different
between true/false. This is the
reason an ad hoc is a weak
argument.)

The argument restates the

conclusion, rather than proving
the conclusion.

What to Watch
out For

What to Watch
out For

This is often used by someone

who has not done the research
and data gathering needed to
construct a solid argument.

Look for verbal cues/signs that

someone is throwing everything
and anything in the argument
pot to make it true.

RED
HERRING
PATTERN

Description
of Behavior
This is a diversionary tactic
that is meant to distract you
from the key issue at hand.
Someone will use this when
they cannot really address
the issue at hand.

What to Watch
out For

When this happens,

purposefully redirect the
conversation back to the
matter at hand.

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Evaluating
Weak
Arguments

Description

Keep In Mind

Ad Hoc
Reasoning

An ad hoc is an attempt to persuade you at any

cost. No matter what objection you bring up, the
other person will find an explanation to invalidate
the objection. (Note: In order for a conclusion to be
true, there must be some circumstance under which
it could be false; otherwise, there is no way of
telling the difference between true/false. This is the
reason an ad hoc is a weak argument.)

Look for verbal cues/signs that

someone is throwing everything and
anything in the argument pot to
make it true.

Circular
Reasoning

The argument restates the conclusion, rather than

proving the conclusion.

This is often used by someone who

has not done the research and data
gathering needed to construct a solid
argument.

Red Herring

This is a diversionary tactic that is meant to distract

you from the key issue at hand. Someone will use
this when they cannot really address the issue at
hand.

When this happens, purposefully

redirect the conversation back to the
matter at hand.

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Drawing ConclusionsPsychological Factors

You should do your best to ensure that your conclusion addresses the stated problem and that youve not gone
off course to deflect the issue at hand. Here are three psychological factors to watch out for when drawing
conclusions.

TRUSTING IN AN INSUFFICIENT
SAMPLE SIZE

Description

Too few opinions, too little data, or

limited representation of groups cannot
be relied on to extrapolate to a much
larger population or data source.

OVERRELIAN
OVERRELIANCE
AN
ANCE
NCE ON
ON PERSONAL
PERS
PE
RSON
RS
ONAL
ON
AL
EXPERIENCE AS EVIDENCE

Description

You rely on your current

limited knowledge for all the
data in making a decision.

ENTRAPMENT

Description

Feeling that you must continue

down a path in a project or situation
simply because you have already
invested time/money/energy.

Bias

TRUSTING IN AN INSUFFICIENT
SAMPLE SIZE

Keep in Mind

Opinions are just that and even though the

individuals with the options may be very
vocal, it still doesnt mean theyre right.
Gather a sufficient quantity of data and get
fair representation before making a business
decision.

OVERRELIANCE
OVER
OVER
OV
ERR
RRELI
RELI
RE
LLIAN
AANC
AN
NCE
CE ON
ON PERSONAL
PERSO
EXPERIENCE AS EVIDENCE

Keep in Mind

Additional research, especially

p
y in
h you hhave lilimited
it d
areas where
experience, provides more reliable
data to consider.

ENTRAPMENT

Keep in Mind
ENTRAPMENT
Check your reaction by doing a
cost/benefit analysis about
proceeding with the project.

Description

Misunderstanding Too few opinions, too little data,

Small Sample Sizes or limited representation of groups
cannot be relied on to extrapolate to a
much larger population or data source.

Keep In Mind
Opinions are just that and even
though the individuals with the
opinions may be very vocal, it still
doesnt mean theyre right. Gather
a sufficient quantity of data and get
fair representation before making a
business decision.

Overreliance
on Personal
Experience

You rely on your current limited

Additional research, especially in areas
knowledge for all the data in making a where you have limited experience
decision.
provides more reliable data to
consider.

Entrapment

Feeling that you must continue down

a path in a project or situation simply
because you have already invested
time/money/energy.

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Check your reaction by doing cost/

benefit analysis about proceeding with
the project.

3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

The Seven Thinking Styles

The My Thinking Styles online assessment measures seven different thinking styles, habits, and behaviors that
promote effective critical thinking.
The purpose of knowing your thinking styles is to see what part of the standard critical thinking method you are
intuitively comfortable with and what parts you may need to cultivate more deliberately through practice.
Rank

Thinking Style

Timely

Timely people can be described as efficient,

reliable, and responsive.

Analytical

Analytical people can be described as clearthinking, orderly, and methodical.

Inquisitive

Inquisitive people can be described as curious,

alert, and interested in their surrounding
world.

Truth-Seeking

Truth seekers can be described as independent,

tough-minded, and skeptical.

Open-Minded

Open-minded people can be described as

intellectually tolerant, and fair minded.

Systematic

Systematic people can be described as

conceptual, process-oriented, and intuitive.

Insightful

Insightful people can be described as prudent,

humble, and reflective.

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Snapshot

3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Integrating RED Skills and Thinking Styles

You can assess the seven thinking styles results from your My Thinking Styles Development Report against
the RED Model to identify whether you are over-using or under-using any of the thinking styles and as a result
hindering your critical thinking effectiveness.

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

Applying Your Thinking Styles and the RED Model to

a Real Work Situation
Individual Activity
Instructions: Take about 8 minutes to answer the questions displayed below.
1. What is a work situation you are trying to resolve right now?
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2. What are your top two preferred thinking styles? How do these two styles bear on the way you interpret the
work situation you want to resolve?
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3. How do your preferred styles align with the RED Model? Given your preferences, what part of the RED Model
will be easiest for you and what part or parts will take practice?
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4. What parts of the RED Model apply to the work situation you want to resolve? What does applying the RED
Model show you, which you might not have realized using only your preferred thinking styles?
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______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking

RED Model*
To be an effective critical thinker, consider the context in which your critical thinking takes place and continually
look ahead to what action you need to take.
Critical thinking, perhaps more than any other business skill set, can make the difference between success and
failure.
The skills utilized in the RED Model are the 3 Steps to Exceptional Critical Thinking that we focused on during this
course.

*Copyright 2009 NCS Pearson, Inc. Adapted and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.

American Management Association. All rights reserved.

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