PSYC 1111 assign 1B Alexa Maljaars PDF

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Critical Thinking Guidelines...

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PSYC 1111 Thompson Rivers University Alexa Maljaars T00681869 Assignment 1: Part A February 3, 2021

Critical Thinking For this assignment, I chose option B - Money buys happiness. I will be examining this common myth using the critical thinking guidelines. Guideline 1: Ask questions and be willing to wonder. Asking questions is the starting point of critical thinking. 1. What exactly does money buy? 2. What is happiness? 3. How much money is needed? Guideline 2: Define your terms. Terms that aren’t defined accurately can be misleading and result in misleading or inaccurate information. 1. What is meant by money? Is it wealth? Power? 2. What is happiness? Is it being rich? Having a big family? Being stress free? Guideline 3: Examine the evidence. Answers, arguments or theories without evidence cannot be valid or reliable. Examining the evidence helps to authenticate them. 1. What types of studies have been done to prove this statement? 2. Are they legitimate studies? Guideline 4: Analyze assumptions and biases. Assumptions and biases must be analyzed to prove their validity. 1. More money means less stress to me, but is that the same for everyone else? 2. Is there evidence to support the argument of rich people being happy

or am I biased? Guideline 5: Avoid emotional reasoning. Our personal thoughts, opinions, and experiences are not a valid source for an argument because they can be biased which can result in incorrect conclusions. 1. Am I saying this because I want other people to see that I’m rich and happy? 2. I’m not rich, nor am I happy so people that are rich must be happy. Guideline 6: Don’t oversimplify. Don’t generalize just from a few examples or situations. It isn’t always one or the other, sometimes there is a grey area. 1. Just because one rich person is happy, doesn’t mean all rich people are. 2. Is happiness the same for men and women? The same for young and old? Guideline 7: Consider other interpretations. Consider other possibilities and answers before deciding on a definite one. 1. Family brings happiness but you need money to have kids so therefore, money can buy happiness. 2. In order to run a successful business, the owner must be mentally stable and somewhat happy. Having a successful business brings in money which could be the source of the owners happiness so it is a cycle.

Guideline 8: Tolerate uncertainty. There will not always be sufficient evidence for answers. Tolerance for

uncertainty is essential to critical thinking. 1. There is not enough evidence of people’s happiness to conclude that money buys it. 2. In a situation where money cannot buy happiness ( ie. if there’s a death in the family, money cannot bring them back) then the statement, “Money buys happiness” would not be valid....