What's the difference between a skill and a disposition?

A skill is something a person can do, like reading, swimming, singing, or thinking. Skills are more or less well developed within the range of a persons abilities. A person may have the ability to play the piano, but not have developed his or her skill at playing the piano. A disposition is a habitual inclination, like being loving, trustworthy, open-minded, or, on the negative side, biased, imprudent, or cowardly. A person may or may not be disposed to use some of their skills. A person, for example, might be skilled at painting walls and woodwork, but not be inclined to take on that chore. We can test a person's skills by asking them to perform tasks that require the use of those skills. We can assess a person's disposition by asking the person about their beliefs, preferences, and values. This is not to say that creating and validating these kinds of tests and measures does not, itself, require a good deal of skill, and knowledge. To explore the relationship between being skilled at critical thinking and being disposed at critical thinking, download a copy of "The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking:Its Character, Measurement, and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skill" free from from our CT Resources.