Critical Thinking

1. Critical Thinking

2. Objective
• I can apply critical thinking skills to psychological
research.

3. Critical Thinking
• In IB writing assessments, you will be required to
use psychological research studies as evidence to
support a claim and to critically examine that
evidence.
• Critical Thinking: You can apply and evaluate the
knowledge appropriately and use it in the
analysis of psychological phenomena.

4. Types of Critical Thinking
• Evaluation of Method
• Connections to Major Debates
• Application to Society
• Connections to other studies and explanations in
psychology (Biological, Cognitive, Sociocultural)

5. Evaluation of Method
• Explain the strengths and limitations of the way that the
study was conducted.
• Ethics: Was the study ethical?
• Reliable: Will the test lead to the same results every
time?
• Validity: Does the experiment test what it is meant to
test?
• Ecological Validity: Does the experiment show how
people will act in the real world?

6. Connections to Major Debates
• How does this evidence help answer major
questions in psychology?
• Nature vs. Nurture
• Reductionism vs. Holism
• Free-Will vs. Determinism

7. Application to Society
• How can this research be applied to the real
world?
• How can it help us better understand the
behaviors of humans?
• Can this information be used to help
individuals/society?

8. Connections to other Studies and
Levels of Analysis
• What studies have we examined that study
similar aspects?
• Do the studies defend or negate these results?
• How would a psychologist from a different Level
of Analysis explain these results? Do these
explanations defend or negate the results?