Critical Thinking in Psychology

This book shows students and researchers in psychology how to think critically about experimental research, statistical inference, case studies, and ethical judgments. Each chapter explains what critical thinking is and how to teach and assess it by supplying useful features, such as critical-thinking questions and definitions of key terms.

Good scientific research depends on critical thinking at least as much as factual knowledge; psychology is no exception to this rule. And yet, despite the importance of critical thinking, psychology students are rarely taught how to think critically about the theories, methods, and concepts they must use. This book shows students and researchers how to think critically about key topics such as experimental research, statistical inference, case studies, logical fallacies, and ethical judgments. Using updated research findings and new insights, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of what critical thinking is and how to teach it in psychology. Written by leading experts in critical thinking in psychology, each chapter contains useful pedagogical features, such as critical-thinking questions, brief summaries, and definitions of key terms. It also supplies descriptions of each chapter author''s critical-thinking experience, which evidences how critical thinking has made a difference to facilitating career development.