Barriers to Critical Thinking

Resources:

What Is Cognitive Bias? (verywellmind.com)

Choose one (1) of the following barriers  and discuss how this barrier influenced a decision that you made in the past or present.   

• Egocentrism:  Self-centered thinking (bias for personal benefit)
• Socio-centrism:  Group-centered thinking (conforming to peer pressure)
• Unwarranted Assumptions:  Beliefs that are presumed to be true without adequate evidence or justification (stereotyping)
• Wishful Thinking:  Believing that something is true because one wishes it were true
• Relativistic Thinking:  The truth is just a matter of opinion.  For example: Any culture that is not my own is weird. 

Once you select a barrier and determine the personal decision,  write a brief essay using the following criteria:

Part 1:  Introduce the situation and explain what happened

Part 2:  Explain which barrier to critical thinking you relied upon that led to the poor decision making.  Why do you think you succumbed to this barrier?

Part 3:  Discuss what you would do differently if you could make the decision over again

• 500 to 750 words; 12 point font; Times Roman
• Double-Spaced
• MLA citation is always encouraged, but not mandatory for this assignment