It is a common experience to encounter people with skills they are not motivated to use. And perhaps equally common to know people who are motivated to do things for which, unfortunately, they lack the skills. Reasoning and critical thinking follow this pattern. Some people are more positively disposed to apply their critical thinking skills whenever they have decisions to make or problems to solve; others are ambivalent and at times seem willing to apply their reasoning skills while at other times seem unwilling to do so; and still others are more strongly disposed not to approach the difficulties they encounter using that set of skills.

For more information on critical thinking and the relationship between critical thinking skills and strong positive critical thinking habits of mind download a free copy of “Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why it Counts” by Dr. Peter Facione.

To build your critical thinking skills and positive critical thinking habits of mind, consider Dr. Facione’s book, Think Critically, published by Pearson Education. Dr. Facione is the developer and author of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test family of measurement tools and a senior researcher with Insight Assessment.

For sample thinking skills questions or sample thinking mindset items.

The Insight Assessment app, Critical Thinking Insight, includes free sample thinking skills and mindset questions  plus a variety of more comprehensive in app purchasable personal thinking assessments.