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Barriers to Critical Thin king LSH 2203 Cr itical Think i ng

What is a barrier?

This barrier might stop you walking near a car accident.

This barrier might stop you going to a VIP area.

This kind of barrier would stop you using your hands.

If you couldn’t speak or read a language, it would be a barrier.

If you couldn’t think critically, you might not make good decisions.

What kind of barriers would stop people thinking critically?

The most common barriers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Egocentrism Sociocentrism Peer Pressure Denial Face-Saving Fear of Change Scapegoating Assumptions and Stereotyping

o Eg s an e m lf’ ‘se At cen the tre Egocentrism

Egocentric people are focused on themselves. They think their own interests and ideas are more important (and better) than anyone else’s.

“I don’t like horror movies. How can anyone like them? People who do are sick!”

“I believe that women should stay at home if they have children. That is the only way to raise children. ”

Self-Interested Thinking Supporting something because it benefits you or is in your interests. You consider your wants or needs more important than others.

Self-Interested Thinking Example 0 You are on a committee to decide if classes should start at 8 am and finish at 3 pm or start at 9 am and finish at 4 pm. 0 You do a survey and find that many people want to finish early (they travel long distances). 0 BUT, you vote to start later because you want to sleep in.

Egocentrics also tend to see themselves as better than they are in reality. http: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=ZS-WK 4 z. Ny 84 (start at : 027)

Being egocentric might also give a person a self-serving bias*. Self-serving bias is when you take credit for your successes and blame others for your failures. *Bias is like adding weight to your point of view.

Self-Serving Bias Examples 0 You get an A on an exam and you believe it is because you are very smart. You get a C on the exam and say that the exam was very hard. 0 After a car accident, both people blame the other person for causing the accident.

It’s important to remember, it is normal for people to be egocentric at times. We all do this. Be careful that it doesn’t become barrier.

Group Task Think of a personal example of: a) self-interested thinking b) self-serving bias

Sociocentrism Us! No, us!

Sociocentrism is to be centered on one’s group. It focuses on what would be good for the group that a person belongs to.

When this happens, it often leads to group bias, which is when people think that their own group (nation, tribe, peer group, etc. ) is better than others.

“Emirati biryani is the best in the world. ”

“Media students are the hardest working students. The college should build us a special media lounge. ”

Sociocentrism is common in all cultures throughout history. When it is taken too far can often lead to conflict and violence.

Watch an Experiment in Sociocentrism In-Group / Out-Group Bias & Racism : http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=H-n. QF 4 RYC 7 w

Answer the following questions in groups then share the answers with your class: • How did the blue-eyed people feel and behave? Why? • How did the brown-eyed people feel and behave? Why? • Which group shows evidence of group bias? How?

So why are Egocentrism and Socio-Centrism barriers to Critical thinking*? *Remember the qualities of a critical thinker: accurate, clear, fair, relevant, reasonable, logical?

r e Pe ns a e e m eon m r o u s yo in up gro Peer Pressure

Peer Pressure is when a group puts pressure or stress on a person to be the same as the group. It might be to conform to the group’s thoughts, feelings, opinions, or actions.

Studies show that a peer group has the strongest impact on a teenager’s life (much more so than parents). Why do you think that is?

Why do people give in to peer pressure? Can you think of a time that you felt peer pressure?

The Asch Experiment An example of Peer Pressure from history Which line is the same length as the example line? Would you change your answer if everyone else said “C”?

A scientist, Solomon Asch, was interested in peer pressure. He wanted to see how peers influenced a person and the decision that person makes.

He created an experiment. He hired a group of actors who all said the same wrong answer. Then he asked a normal person to give their answer. Watch what happened.

The Asch Experiment http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=q. A-gbpt 7 Ts 8

Denial

Denial means to refuse or say “No” Denial is a way people push away unpleasant thoughts from our minds.

I think you might be addicted to Facebook. Me? No! I only check it a couple of times a week! Honestly. It can be a refusal to see that something bad is happening.

Drug addicts or alcoholics often deny that they have a problem. “I can stop anytime!”

People might stay in a bad relationship because they are in denial that their relationship is not working. “I am sure we will fall in love again”

Victims of traumatic events may deny that the event ever occurred. “I don’t remember anything about the accident. ”

Can you think of any other examples of denial?

In all of the examples, people refuse to admit the reality of the situation as it’s too unpleasant to deal with.

Why is denial a barrier to critical thinking*? *Remember the qualities of a critical thinker: accurate, clear, fair, relevant, reasonable, logical?

Face Saving

Face-saving behaviors are things we do to save us from embarrassment. ‘Saving face’ helps us maintain our dignity and public image.

What does this mean? Have you seen people act after they fall? Why do people do this?

Can you describe a facesaving situation you’ve been in or seen?

Why is face-saving a barrier to critical thinking*? *Remember the qualities of a critical thinker: accurate, clear, fair, relevant, reasonable, logical?

Fear of Change

Fear of change can stop you from taking action or changing your mind. You might even want to change but the fear of change means that you don’t try.

Sometimes people prefer not to ask questions because they don’t want to know the answers. They are afraid to change.

What if you changed your job or major? What might happen? Are you afraid of change?

What if you really questioned what was inside the food you ate? Are you afraid to find out?

Sometimes the fear of change means we avoid thinking critically or we might feel paralyzed and can’t do anything.

Why do you think people fear change? Can you think of a personal example where fear of change led to a poor decision? OR when you overcame a fear and made a good decision?

Scapegoating

A scapegoat is someone (or a group of people) who people blame for something that goes wrong.

“Why do Emirati students still need Foundations courses to learn English? ” The kindergarten teachers don’t teach them properly. The elementary school teachers don’t teach them properly. The high school teachers don’t teach them properly.

In some situations, scapegoating first starts as Sociocentrism. It’s their fault! No, it’s their fault!

Scapegoating in History In Nazi Germany, Hitler repeatedly told his people that the Jews were the reason for all of Germany's economic, social and political problems. He made Jewish people wear a yellow star on their clothes all the time.

Because Jews were a large group within the society, it was easy for Hitler to single them out.

They became the scapegoat for all the country’s problems. People supported Hitler and in the end, he sent millions of Jews to prison (concentration camps) where they were killed.

To this day, scapegoating continues to be used by politicians. They often blame minorities for problems such as increased crime and rising unemployment. They do it to take attention away from the people who are really responsible for problems.

Discussion Get together with your group and think of more examples of scapegoating. Tell the class about your examples

What’s wrong with scapegoating? Why is it a barrier to critical thinking? *? *Remember the qualities of a critical thinker: accurate, clear, fair, relevant, reasonable, logical?

Assumptions

An assumption is something we take for granted. It is something that we believe to be true but we haven’t checked.

Can you solve this puzzle? A man is driving his son home from football practice one wet and stormy evening, when they are involved in a car crash. The father dies immediately, and the son is very seriously injured.

The ambulance takes the son to the Emergency department of the nearest hospital, and the doctor sees the boy and cries out ‘Oh no! My son, my son!’ How is this possible?

The doctor was his mother. Why do you think we looked at this puzzle?

Stereotyping The most common type of assumption uses stereotypes.

Stereotyping is when we judge someone because of a group they are in. Stereotyping means we talk about ‘all’ or ‘every’ instead of looking at individuals. “All Emiratis are…. . ”

Stereotypes can be positive or negative. They are unfair or untrue because they say everyone in a group is the same. “People who wear glasses are intelligent”.

Gender Stereotypes are a very common form of stereotype. Can you think of examples? “All women…” “All men…”

Sometimes people really believe that stereotypes are true. Look at the next slides. Do you believe any of these stereotypes?

Stereotypes are often shown in advertising. This can actually strengthen people’s beliefs in unfair stereotyping.

Some stereotypes might seem funny but it is important to remember – believing unfair stereotypes can cause serious problems. What do these imply?

Negative stereotypes can affect people’s confidence, life and freedom.

Studies have repeatedly shown that if girls are told that boys are better at something – the girls will get lower grades. http: //www. unite-it. eu/profiles/blogs/why-are-so-few-girls-attracted-to-study-ict

http: //www. statista. com/chart/2388/gender-breakdown-tech-companies/

Is it easy for women to do these jobs in your country? Why or why not?

Cultural Stereotypes are also a very common form of stereotype. Can you think of examples? “Americans are all…” “All Asians…”

How do you think people who are stereotyped feel? Do you think people stereotype you?

A racial stereotype from a video game. What do you think about this?

How do you think believing a stereotype might affect your critical thinking? *? *Remember the qualities of a critical thinker: accurate, clear, fair, relevant, reasonable, logical?

Stereotype Video Group Task – What do you think of what the people in the video said below? “Stereotypes are a judgment of people based on their colour. ” “I don’t like it when they make up stories about who I am. ” “Stereotypes can be how people view each other. ” What was their advice for overcoming stereotypes? Adolescence and Stereotypes : http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=x. Mx. LENX 1 rl 4

So, to be critical thinkers we need to avoid these barriers. Can you remember them all?

Additional Activities

Stereotypes: Statements 0 0 0 Which of these statements are true, in your opinion? Men are better drivers than women. Women are emotional, whereas men are rational. Women are good at cooking; men are good at fixing things. Men are better at the sciences than women; women are better at languages and the humanities. Asians are more hard-working than the rest of the world. People who live in cities are more sophisticated than people who live in the countryside. The French are very romantic. Americans are loud, arrogant people. The English are reserved and polite. Emiratis are rich, drive big cars and wear designer sunglasses.

Stereotypes: Nationalities What are the stereotypes for these people? 0 Saudis 0 Omanis 0 Iranians 0 Egyptians 0 Syrians 0 Indians 0 Pakistanis 0 Filipinos 0 Which of these stereotypes are positive? Which are negative? 0 Where do these stereotypes come from? Do they have any basis in fact? 0 What are the stereotypes for Emirati people?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Stereotypes: How to face change without fear How did Esraa feel when she was told that she had to change the way she dressed to get the job? What did she do about the way she feels? Why? When did Esraa have a moment of freedom? Why did she feel free at that moment? What was the content of the strange email that Esraa received? How did the women who sent the email feel? How did Esraa’s blog and thoughts change after the email? http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wq. Irb. XP 99 ks

Arab Stereotypes in the Media Disney had to change the opening song of Aladdin in 1992 because Arab groups in the US stated that it was racist. Stop the video at 0. 23 at the ‘racist’ section. What do you think? http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=NMbf. HUVbt 0

Arab Stereotypes in the Media Original song Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home! New song Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense. It’s barbaric but hey, it’s home!

Arab Stereotypes in the Media Can you find any other stereotypes of nationalities or cultures in the media?

Cultural Stereotypes Reading: Emirati Men Read the text and find answers to these questions: 0 What are the stereotypes for Emirati men? 0 How do people view Gulf women? 0 How do the stereotypes affect Emirati men? 0 Why could ‘nationalisation’ projects have a negative effect? 0 What do Emiratis say about the stereotypes?

Gender Stereotypes Reading: Women and Science Often stereotypes have a negative effect on individual lives and can be long lasting. Read the article about Women and Science 0 Discuss the article: How does it illustrate the idea above? 0 In the article it states "the stereotype becomes selffulfilling". What does this mean?

Watch a video about Peer Pressure *8 mins Long Course Only http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_NN 6 s. QSLNWg

Peer Pressure 1. How do the teenagers in the video define peer pressure? 2. What causes peer pressure? Give three examples. 3. How do the teenagers in the video feel when they are under peer pressure? 4. How can teenagers handle peer pressure? http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_NN 6 s. QSLNWg