The Critical Thinking Companion

Third Edition

Publication Date: October 26, 2015

Paperback ISBN: 9781319030490

Pages: 304

An active learning approach to critical thinking

Designed to support any introduction to psychology or critical thinking course, this engaging and concise companion takes an active learning approach to developing students’ critical thinking skills. The authors include a wealth of hands-on exercises that span the spectrum of topics in psychology...

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Introduction

1. THINKING CRITICALLY WITH PSYCHOLOGIAL SCIENCE
2. NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOR
3. STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
4. THE NATURE AND NURTURE OF BEHAVIOR
5. THE DEVELOPING PERSON
6. SENSATION
7. PERCEPTION
8. LEARNING
9. MEMORY
10. THINKING AND LANGAUGE
11. INTELLIGENCE
12. MOTIVATION
13. EMOTION
14. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
15. PERSONALITY
16. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
17. THERAPY
18. STRESS AND HEALTH

Uses the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy as a framework to explore how psychology students can improve their critical thinking skills related to the science of mind and behavior.

Every chapter includes different levels of cognitive effort that can be adapted to meet targets of student learning outcomes

Each chapter includes exercises that correspond to topics discussed in introductory psychology.

Students can independently select projects or learning experiences or faculty can assign specific ones that fit with class goals

Projects can be adapted for group use and discussion.

Each exercise emphasizes a particular category of skills designed to assist students’ overall development of critical thinking abilities

Exercises conclude with a list of critical thinking skills students will refine as they complete the exercise and learn the relevant psychological concepts.

An Answer Key is provided for each chapter’s exercises at the back of the book.

Uses the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy as an organizing framework for exercises that will help students evaluate, analyze, apply, understand and remember concepts.

More emphasis devoted to higher order skills including evaluating and creating

Adds new exercises such as Your Personal Honor Code and Customized Stress Assessment but retains many of the classics that users love such as Piaget Meets Santa Claus

Jane S. Halonen

Jane S. Halonen has been a Professor of Psychology at the University of West Florida for over a decade.  She has been fortunate also to have great professional families at James Madison University and Alverno College where she was lucky enough to cross paths with the talented Cynthia Gray.  Jane’s most recent research emphases have been on helping good departments become great ones as well as trying to help legislators understand the true nature of psychology in tough economic times.  Jane has been involved over the course of her career with helping the American Psychological Association develop guidelines or standards of academic performance from high school through graduate levels of education.  In 2000, she won the Distinguished Teaching Award winner by the American Psychological Foundation and the American Psychological Association named her an “Eminent Woman in Psychology” in 2003.  She served as the Chief Reader for the Psychology Advanced Placement Reading from 2004-2009.  A self-identified “teaching conference junkie,” Jane served on the NITOP Board and has presented at nearly every regional teaching conference in psychology.  With Peter Seldin, she also co-directed the International Conference on Improving University Teaching from 2001-2008.

Cynthia Gray

Cynthia Gray spent six years as Director of Institutional Research, Assessment, & Planning at Beloit College (Beloit WI) until her retirement in 2013. Prior to her role in Institutional Research, Cynthia taught in the Department of Psychology at Beloit College and also at Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI), where she was fortunate enough to meet and work with Jane Halonen. Cynthia currently lives in Quincy, MA, where she uses her critical thinking skills to organize a household comprised of her husband, Doug, three children ranging in age from middle school to graduate school –Caleb, Hannah, & Morgan – father-in-law, David, and the clueless family Chihuahua, Watson. Cynthia received her PhD and MA from The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) and her B.A. from Earlham College (Richmond, IN).