There are a lot of skills that should be taught in grade school but for some reason have managed to be overlooked by our education system. One of the most valuable but underrated skills is critical thinking.
Post-secondary teaches it, with the degree of emphasis varying from program to program. But thinking critically is not just a skill essential to academia.
The other day at work the television in the lunchroom was showing a daytime talk show -- one where they feature special guests who shamelessly plug their latest wares. Often the products claim to be the latest and greatest flavour of the week in terms of fad diets and weight loss.
In this case the guest was discussing a new product that allegedly prevented sugar cravings. She went on about how there have been nine scientific studies about the product and how it could be a revolution in weight loss.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Here's where the critical thinking comes in. The guest mentioned that scientific studies had been done on the product, but neglected to mention what the findings of those studies actually were. It is entirely possible that none of the studies found any statistically significant data. She is technically correct. Nine studies were done. That just isn't enough information to draw definitive conclusions.
Another prime example of an area where critical thinking is essential is in political polling.
The poll data given after the results summary in many articles will state how many people were polled. They represent your sample. However, the information supplied usually omits how they selected their sample participants, the medium used, the time of day the survey was conducted, and if there were any confounding variables. For example, when selecting participants, did they choose many different kinds of people? Were those selected representative of the larger population? The medium used could inadvertently bias the results by eliminating a portion of the population (such as people who do not own a computer or landline telephone). If the poll was conducted during business hours, they are eliminating the segment of the population who work during that time frame. Confounding variables could include the language the survey was conducted in or the wording of the questions.
Unfortunately many people read polls and statistics without thinking what they actually mean or in what ways the data could be misleading.
Until our education system decides to teach these skills it's up to each of us to explore critical thinking for ourselves.
Darlana Robertson is a twentysomething writer from Calgary and a former Central Alberta resident.
