2016-06-01: College Prep: critical and creative thinking

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - Notes from all my classes
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Critical Thinking
- think carefully to pick the best possible choice
- don’t make assumptions that might not be true
- make sure your conclusion is logical
- “read between the lines” = understand what someone is implying without saying it directly

Creative Problem Solving
- think of other options which are also logical
- criticize the ideas with logical thinking
- “think outside the box” = don’t focus just on familiar options and ways of thinking
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(from http://www.indiana.edu/~bobweb/Handout/d4.ips.htm “full text download”)
Handout: In your group, can you think of an answer or explanation for these puzzles?
2 One. If you combine 6 piles and 3 piles, you just get one big pile.
3 No, because the man is dead and dead people can’t get married.
4 He doesn’t have any hair.
	It doesn’t say, “His hair stayed dry.”
	It says, “No hairs got wet.”
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Other handout p. 113/309 - Errors in judgment: Mistakes you can make which can lead to the wrong conclusion about something.

stereotypes: ideas about a country or people as a whole group, even though individuals are all different
	Americans eat hamburgers every day.
	Americans like to drive trucks and big cars.
	Americans cheat tourists.
	Americans have very strict policies.
	It’s easy to buy drugs near schools.
	Russians drink vodka every day.
	Brazilians all dance samba.
all-or-nothing thinking: black and white thinking, “If I don’t pass this test, I am an idiot and I should drop out of school.”
snap judgments: decisions made before you have all the knowledge, “He didn’t say hello so he must hate me.”
unwarranted assumptions: assumptions that aren’t supported by the evidence
projection: when you think someone else acts and thinks the same way you do
fundamental attribution error: “I make decisions because of my specific circumstances, but other people make decisions because of the kind of people they are.”
	example: I’m late because the bus didn’t come, but you’re late because you’re a lazy person.
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Homework: See if you can solve any of the other problems on the first handout. (I’ll show you all the other answers tomorrow.)