Critical Thinking Chapter 21 Meg Lipper Caldwell College

OVERVIEW Introduction Casual Thinking VS Critical Thinking Critical Thinking in Action Facilitated Communication Critical Thinking in the Workplace Summary Questions / Comments

“What skeptical thinking boils down to is the means to construct, and to understand, a reasoned argument and – especially important – to recognize a fallacious or fraudulent argument.” Bailey & Burch, 2010

Miraculous Breakthrough! QUICK & EASY CURES AUTISM EFFECTIVE RECOVERY IMPROVES EVERYTHING

Introduction Personal Anecdotes don’t cut it! We are ALWAYS questioning  Everything  Everyone Not interested in correlational findings We want to see the data! Bailey & Burch, 2010

Show Me the DATA! Repeated measures Observational reliability Social validity Experimental control MUST be Socially Significant! Bailey & Burch, 2010

What it Looks Like…

Casual Vs Critical Thinking Casual thinking = Problem solving “Its time for an oil change. I pass a Jiffy Lube on my way home from work every afternoon, so I guess I’ll stop and have it done today.” “I want you to try this Fair Trade Organic Sumatran Reserve coffee. It has the most amazing flavor and is grown in soil that has never been treated with pesticides, so you won’t get cancer from it.” Bailey & Burch, 2010

Critical Thinking in Action Information (Data) Inference (Conclusion) Implication (Consequence) Assumptions Bailey & Burch, 2010

Dangers of Casual Thinking “ Families desperate for any shred of hope for a cure for autism seem disinclined t engage in critical thinking about treatment effectiveness.” Waste of time, money, & resources Might not work May cause more harm Bailey & Burch, 2010

Baseline Sensory Integration Toys + DRO+ Response Interrupt Follow – up

Be Aware of Fad Treatments

Facilitated Communication: The Poster Child for Failed Critical Thinking Began in Australia, migrated to US in the early 1990’s Facilitators assist individuals in typing on a keyboard Due to desperation and gullible consumers  Hired in school systems Turns out….  Facilitators were writing the stories  Diagnosed individuals being facilitated were not even engaged “The consequences have been devastating for families that were ripped apart by fallacious allegations.” Bailey & Burch, 2010

Critical Thinking in the Workplace As Behavior Analysts  Critical thinking tools are essential  Remain Calm  Review the evidence  Determine assumptions that have been made  Don’t believe the first story  Establish baseline before drawing conclusions Teachers, parents, & administrators  Horrendous situations  Require immediate attention  Most likely a thirdhand story Bailey & Burch, 2010

Who Are We Up Against?? Colleagues from other professions  Advocate their favorite interventions  Occupational therapists  Speech & Language pathologists Parents  Strange new fads  Internet  Other parents  Catelogs Administrators Cut costs  Cut down hours of treatment  Hire individuals without proper training Bailey & Burch, 2010

Summary Stay updated on current literature! Don’t believe the first story; Listen to ALL sides Ask questions Collect data directly Analyze the evidence Combine your critical thinking skills with other topics discussed in the text:  Assertiveness  Ethics in daily life  Persuasion  Lobbying  Handling difficult people  Problem solving Bailey & Burch, 2010

Additional Readings Ayres, A. J. (1972). Sensory integration and learning disorders. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. Bundy, A. C., & Murray, E. A. (2002). Assessing sensory integrative dysfunction. In A. C. Bundy, S. J. Lane, & A. Murray (Eds.), Sensory integration: Theory and practice (2 nd ed., pp.3-34). Philadelphia: Davis. Foxx, R. M. (1994, Fall). Facilitated communication in Pennsylvania: Scientifically invalid but politically correct. Dimensions, 1-9. Jacobson, J. W., Foxx, R. M., & Mulick, J. A. (Eds.). (2005). Controversial therapies for developmental disabilities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Mason, S. A., & Iwata, B. A. (1990). Artificial effects of sensory-integrative therapy on self-injurious behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23, Normand, M. T., & Bailey, J. S. (2006). The effects of celebration lines on accurate data analysis. Behavior Modification, 30, Paul, R. W., & Elder, L. (2002). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Smith, T., Mruzek, D. W., & Mozingo, D. (2005). Sensory integrative therapy. In J. W. Jacobson, R. M. Foxx, & J. A. Mulick (Eds.), Controversial therapies for developmental disabilities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Zechmeister, E. B., & Johnson, J. E. (1992). Critical thinking: A functional approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Bailey & Burch, 2010

References Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010). 25 essential skills and strategies for the professional behavior analyst. New York, NY: Routledge