Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User-Friendly Manual (Subscription)

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Developing Instinctive Analytical Skills in Students   Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User Friendly Manual trains students to distinguish high-quality, well-supported arguments from those with little or no evidence to support them.     It develops the skills required to effectively evaluate the many claims facing them as citizens, learners, consumers, and human beings, and also to be effective advocates for their beliefs.   Teaching and Learning Experience   Personalize Learning - MyThinkingLabdelivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.   Improve Critical Thinking - Coverage of persuasive speaking, decision-making, the Toulmin model of argumentation, and chapter-end writing and speaking exercisesall teach students to construct and present arguments so that they can gain skill and confidence.   Engage Students - Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User Friendly Manual exposes students to a variety of contemporary and multicultural issues, engaging their understanding of analytical skills through the use of articles and varied examples.   Support Instructors - Teaching your course just got easier!  You can create a Customized Text or use our Instructor’s Manual, Electronic “MyTest” Test Bank or PowerPoint Presentation Slides.  PLUS, our new Instructor’s Manual has been updated and expanded with revised tests and answer keys, a discussion of chapter exercises, and suggestions for teaching critical thinking concepts.   Note: MyThinkingLab does no come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MyThinkingLab, please visit www.MyThinkingLab.com or you can purchase a valuepack of the text + MyThinkingLab (VP ISBN-10: 0205176038, VO ISBN-13: 9780205176038)  

Table of Contents:
  IN THIS SECTION: 1.) BRIEF 2.) COMPREHENSIVE   BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS   Contents PREFACE  000   Chapter 1     Foundations of Arguments 2 Chapter 2     Values and Ethics  36 Chapter 3     Reality of assumptions  74 Chapter 4     Inductive arguments: Statistical and causal generalizations  120 Chapter 5     Inductive generalizations: Controlled studies and analogies  170 Chapter 6     Reasoning errors  224 Chapter 7     The power of language  274  Chapter 8     Suggestion in media  320 Chapter 9     Fair-mindedness  400  Chapter 10     Persuasive speaking  442 CREDITS 483 INDEX  000   COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS   Contents PREFACE  000   Chapter 1     Foundations of Arguments 2 Who Is a Critical Thinker and When Do You Need to Be One? The Structure of Argument  4 Individual or Class Exercise: Making a Decision      15      Chapter Review  16      Summary 16      Checkup  16      Exercises  17           “Educational Ticket”  19           “War on Drugs Fails: We Need New Approach”  19           “Drugged Driving”  19      Articles for Discussion  21           “16-Year-Old Sailor Was Already Off Course” 21           “LeBron James’ Decision a Cruel Blow to His Hometown”  25           “Roundup: NBA Team Owner Backs LeBron James’ Decision”  27 “Onstage and Backstage: Two Jobs. One Actor. What Do You Choose?” 28           “Talk-Show Host Angers Disabled Community”  29           “Radio Show on Rights of  Disabled Defended”  30      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  32           “The Road Not Taken”  33      Films for Analysis and Discussion  34      Similar Films and Classics  34   Chapter 2     Values and Ethics  36 What Price Ethics and Can You Afford Not to Pay? VALUE ASSUMPTIONS AND CONFLICTS  39 CLASS EXERCISE  42 ETHICS––AN IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF VALUES  44 IDEAL VALUES VERSUS REAL VALUES  47 ETHICS IN ARGUMENTATION  49 ETHICAL DECISION MAKING  50      Chapter Review  55      Summary  55      Checkup  56      Exercises  56             “Salvation Army Turns Down $100,000 Donation”  60      Articles for Discussion  60           “You Make the Call: Is It Goo Baseball Strategy or a Weak Attempt to Win?”  61           “Staffer Gets Subpoenaed”  63           “National Public Radio”  64           “Schools’ Peanut Bans Spark Backlash”  66           “Texas College Admissions Law Under Fire: Kids in Top 10% Get in Automatically”  68      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  70      Films for Analysis and Discussion  72      Similar Films and Classics  72   Chapter 3     Reality of assumptions  74 It’s Eleven O’Clock. Do You Know Where Your Assumptions Are? REALITY ASSUMPTIONS  75 DETECTING REALITY ASSUMPTIONS  77 THE IMPORTANCE OF EXAMINING ASSUMPTIONS  83 DEDUCTIVE REASONING  88 USING TOULMIN’S METHOD TO UNDERSTAND DEDUCTION  93 THE USES OF DEDUCTIVE REASONING  95      Chapter Review 105      Summary  105      Checkup  105      Exercises 106      Articles for Discussion  108           “Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits”  108           “Can Blacks Be Racist?”  112           “Wasted Food, Discovered Souls”  114           “Bearer of Bad News”  115      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  116      Films for Analysis and Discussion  117      Similar Films and Classics  118      Television Shows for Analysis and Discussion  000   Chapter 4     Inductive arguments: Statistical and causal generalizations  120 Prove It to Me—What Are the Statistics? INDUCTIVE REASONING  121 STATISTICAL EVIDENCE 125 THE MANY USES OF STATISTICS  125 HOW THE RESEARCH IS DONE  132 CHECKLIST FOR POLLS AND STATISTICAL STUDIES  135 USING SURVEYS AS EVIDENCE  136 STATISTICAL GENERALIZATIONS 139 THE REPORTING OF STATISTICAL STUDIES: TRUTHS, HALF-TRUTHS, AND DISTORTIONS  141 CAUSAL GENERALIZATIONS  142 HUME’S CONDITIONS FOR CAUSE AND EFFECT  148 TECHNICAL CAUSATION  149 MULTIPLE CAUSES  149 MILL’S ANALYSIS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT  152 USING DIFFERENCE AND SIMILARITY TOGETHER TO DETERMINE CAUSE  154      Chapter Review 155      Summary  155      Checkup  156      Exercises  156           “What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?” 157           “Multiple Causes of Suicide”  157           “Self-Segregation”  157           “Why Do People Start to Smoke?”  158 Articles for Discussion  160           “The Meth Epidemic”  160         “Understanding Facebook Addiction: Why Is Social Networking So Addictive? How Did We Get Addicted?  162           “ISU Researcher Studies Consequences of ‘Hooking Up’”  164         “Drugs, Gangs on the Rise in Schools: Survey Shows Increase in Gang Activity and Drug Use in Nation’s Schools”  165      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  167      Longer-Term Writing Assignment  168      Films for Analysis and Discussion  169      Similar Films and Classics  169   Chapter 5     Inductive generalizations: Controlled studies and analogies  170 Who Said So? And Who Are They Anyway? RESEARCH DESIGN  172 CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING RESEARCH FINDINGS  173 CONTROVERSY IN RESEARCH FINDINGS  181 CHECKLIST FOR MAKING, EVALUATING, REPAIRING, AND REFUTING ARGUMENTS  187 USE OF AUTHORITY: EXPERT TESTIMONY  189  PROBLEMS WITH EXPERT TESTIMONY  193 REASONING BY ANALOGY  201      Chapter Review  204      Summary  204      Checkup  204      Exercises  205      Articles for Discussion  211           “Food News Blues”  211           “$27 Million to Change NYC Signs from All-Caps”  216           “Could a Pill Help Fade Traumatic Memories?”   218      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  221      Films for Analysis and Discussion  223      Similar Film Classics  223                                                                                 Chapter 6     Reasoning errors  224 I Know What I Think—Don’t Confuse Me with Facts INADEQUATE REASONS AS FALLACIES  225 FALLACIES THAT MISLEAD  241      Chapter Review  255      Summary 255      Checkup 255      Exercises 255      Key Terms  000      Chapter Checkup  000      Chapter Exercises  000      Articles for Discussion  260           “Ashamed of Strug’s Sacrifice”  261           “Kerri Strug Made Reader Cheer”  261           “Keep Women Off the Streets”  262           “E-mail Chain Letters Deceive”  262           “Sunday Times Reveals Some Eco-Celeb Shame”  264           “Rwanda Is So Hot Right Now”  264           “On Comparing Global Warming Denial to Holocaust Denial”  267           “Does Facebook Make You Dumber? Study Shows Users of Social Networking Site Get Lower Grades”  269      Ideas for Writing or Speaking 272      Films for Analysis and Discussion  272   Chapter 7     The power of language  274 What’s in a Name? DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION  276 THE POWER OF CONNOTATION  280 REIFICATION: WHEN WORDS TAKE ON MORE POWER THAN REALITY  284 MEANINGS ARE IN PEOPLE  287 THE PROBLEM OF VAGUENESS  291 AMBIGUITY IN LANGUAGE  293 DOUBLESPEAK, INCLUDING WEASEL WORDS  294      Chapter Review  303      Summary  303      Checkup  304      Exercises  304      Articles for Discussion  308           “What’s in a Name?”  308           “Race-Based Team Names Not Tolerated in Wisconsin”  310           “Jennifer Aniston, The R-Word and the Aftermath”  311           “Weasel Words Rip My Flesh!”  314      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  316      Films for Analysis and Discussion  318   Chapter 8     Suggestion in media  320 Is What You See What You Get? Do You Really Want It? SUGGESTION IN DAILY LIFE  322 TELEVISED SUGGESTION  326 SUGGESTION IN PRINT MEDIA 333 THE POWER OF MEDIA TO SHAPE INFORMATION  341 A BAG OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING TRICKS  345 STORYTELLING AS PERSUASION  371 CITIZENS, CONSUMERS, AND RELATIONSHIPS IN AN AGE OF TECHNOLOGY  373      Chapter Review 375      Summary  375      Checkup  375      Exercises  376      Articles for Discussion  381           “U.S.  Mayor Uses Twitter to Help Snowbound”  381           “Scents and Sensibility”  382           “Five Fake Viral Video Campaigns: Great Gimmicks or Bad for Business?”  385           “The Tyranny of E-Mail”  388      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  395      Films for Analysis and Discussion  398      Similar Films and Classics 398   Chapter 9     Fair-mindedness  400 It’s You and Me, Kid, and I’m Not So Sure About You HOW WE DEFEND OUR EGOS  402 CONFORMITY AND WAYS TO OVERCOME IT 407 EMOTIONAL REASONING AND RATIONAL RESPONSES  410 WAYS TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL REASONING  414 POINTS OF LOGICAL VULNERABILITY  415 ACTIVELY AND ACCURATELY LISTENING: DEVELOPING EMPATHY  418 THE ART OF LISTENING WELL  419 PRECAUTIONS ABOUT ACTIVE LISTENING 420           Chapter Review 423      Summary  423      Checkup  423      Exercises  424      Articles for Discussion  427           “Excerpts from How Doctors Think”  427           “Create Your Own Path”  429           “The Lock: They Argue and I Argue Back. But I Never Seem to Win. The Key: Listen—Just Listen, and You’ll Start to Win.”  431           “It Happened”  432           “For Women Only—What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men”  434           “Breakfast and Tousled Cornrows”  436      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  439      Films for Analysis and Discussion  440      Similar Films and Classics  440   Chapter 10     Persuasive speaking  442 What’s Your Point? How Do You Sharpen It? BEING AN ADVOCATE OF IDEAS: COMMUNICATING PUBLICLY  444 THE BEST WAYS TO DEAL WITH SPEECH FEAR  445 AUDIENCE ANALYSIS  446 THE THREE ELEMENTS OF A PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT: ETHOS, LOGOS, AND PATHOS  447 PROBLEM SOLVING AND COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING  463 THE PROBLEM-SOLVING METHOD  464      Chapter Review 468      Summary  468      Checkup  468      Exercises  469      Articles for Discussion  473           “Don’t Be Shy”  473           “The Gettysburg Address”  476      Ideas for Writing or Speaking  477      Films for Analysis and Discussion  479   CREDITS 483 INDEX  000