Critical thinking, cognitive psychology. DF Halpern, in International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2001. Critical thinking is the use of cognitive skills or strategies that increase the likelihood of a desirable outcome. Although much of the theory and research in critical thinking comes from cognitive psychology, critical psychology alerts us to the limitations of mainstream research in the discipline and promises to bring "social" issues to the forefront. agenda of the whole of psychology. A starting point for the position of critical psychological research is that psychologists' claims about human beings often seem to disappear at almost the same time. Here is a series of questions you can ask yourself to try to ensure you are thinking critically. Conspiracy theories. Inability to distinguish facts from lies. Widespread confusion. This is a fundamental recall question, although it is possible to give an example, which helps apply knowledge about the cognitive abilities that become possible at each stage of development. The example given is almost always the same as that presented in class or in the text. In a study of the key skills underpinning psychology, O Hare and McGuinness discovered that critical thinking, which encompassed critical analysis and problem solving. , emerged as one of the key skills of graduates. This is not surprising given that the work of psychologists, whether academic or professional, Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Unified Skills Approach by Bensley, D. Alan, 1949-Public Topics Critical Thinking, Problems in Thinking criticism, exercises, etc., Reasoning, Psychological reasoning, Psychology, problems, exercises, etc. Publisher Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Pub.