Critical Thinking Resources

Bensley, A. D., Crowe, D. S., Bernhardt, P., Buckner, C., & Allman, A. L. (2010). Teaching and assessing critical thinking skills for argument analysis in psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 37(2), 91-96. DOI: 10.1080/00986281003626656

This study compares the acquisition of critical thinking skills for analyzing psychological arguments in 3 groups of research methods students. 1 group received critical thinking skills infused directly into their course and 2 other groups getting no explicit critical thinking skills instruction.

Blessing, S. B., & Blessing, J. S. (2010). PsychBusters: A means of fostering critical thinking in the introductory course. Teaching of Psychology, 37(3), 178-182. DOI: 10.1080/00986283.2010.488540

Discusses a project given to introductory psychology students that increased their critical thinking regarding psychological findings and their improved ability to take a psychological issue and decide how best to analyze it compared to students who received no such a project.

Gervey, R., Drout, M. O., & Wang, C. (2009). Debate in the classroom: An evaluation of a critical thinking teaching technique within a rehabilitation counseling course. Rehabilitation Education, 23(1), 61-74. PRINT EDITION AVAILABLE ON 2nd FLOOR

This article explores “debate” as a technique to help students attain mastery of content and critical thinking skills considered key to working in the field of rehabilitation counseling.

Jacobs, G., & Murray, M. (2010). Developing critical understanding by teaching action research to undergraduate psychology students. Educational Action Research, 18(3), 319-335. DOI: 10.1080/09650792.2010.499789

This paper describes the challenge of teaching action research within the context of an undergraduate community health psychology module, designed using principles from transformative learning, critical pedagogy and action learning. Action research assumes the active engagement of the stakeholders in the research, and a uses a multiple-level process of reflection in order to evaluate and monitor the actions taken.

McLean, C. P., & Miller, N. A. (2010). Changes in critical thinking skills following a course on science and pseudoscience: A quasi-experimental study. Teaching of Psychology, 37(2), 85-90. DOI: 10.1080/00986281003626714

The article assessed changes in paranormal beliefs and general critical thinking skills among students enrolled in an experimental course designed to teach distinguishing science from pseudoscience and a comparison group of students in an advanced research methods course.

Penningroth, S. L., Despain, L. H., & Gray, M. J. (2007). Topical articles: A course designed to improve psychological critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 34(3), 153-157. PRINT EDITION AVAILABLE ON 2nd FLOOR

The study developed a course designed to enhance psychological critical thinking with new curriculum that emphasizes active learning and critically evaluating claims by applying scientific concepts. The study also used a pretest-posttest design with a quasi-experimental control group to assess the course’s effectiveness.