Critical and Design Thinking.

Critical Thinking

People can possess wonderful human skills. We often, mistakenly, tend to “nurture” those that might not be so wonderful. Critical thinking, as a soft skill, is one of the more wonderful human abilities. It is increasingly valued (or at least it should be) in both business and private life. Lacking it can significantly slow us down, if not set us back. And in extreme cases, perhaps, even cost us our lives. From a business perspective, employees with developed critical thinking are able to solve complex problems, make informed decisions, and, crucially today, adapt to increasingly changing circumstances. After all, we've all decided to operate and behave agilely.

The critical thinking process itself involves several steps:

• identifying problems,
• gathering information and data related to a specific problem or situation,
• evaluating the accuracy, relevance, and reliability of information, and
• analyzing that same information,
• consequently, we should know/have/generate possible solutions or have arguments for or against, and finally,
• look at everything from different perspectives and be aware of our biases.

The complete process will conclude with:

• making a (well-reasoned) decision or conclusion based on analysis, and
• evaluating the effectiveness of the decision itself.

In the end, everyone should be open enough to revise everything if necessary.

Critical thinking requires openness, skepticism, and a commitment to making decisions based, above all, on evidence. Throughout this entire “story,” it is crucial to remain impartial and consider all relevant information before drawing a conclusion.

Why is it difficult to remain impartial, or rational?

In life generally, it's hard to remain impartial and rational, especially since humans tend to be irrational. The propensity for irrationality in people is a complex phenomenon influenced by numerous factors, including cognitive biases, emotions, and what's known as “motivated reasoning.” It is not limited to a specific part of the brain but is the result of the interaction between various regions and processes in the brain.

For example, the amygdala, a key part of the “emotional brain,” can influence our decisions and behavior by creating feelings of fear or pleasure in response to certain stimuli. When we experience strong emotions, they can override our rational thought processes and lead us to act irrationally. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for “executive functions” such as decision-making and emotion regulation, can also play a role in irrationality. Research has shown that damage to the prefrontal cortex can lead to impulsive and irrational behavior.

Biases and heuristics that contribute to irrational thinking are also influenced by how our brain processes information, such as using cognitive shortcuts or relying on past experiences and expectations. Additionally, motivated reasoning, or the tendency to arrive at a preconceived conclusion, can also contribute to irrational thinking.

Motivated Reasoning/Judgment

Another wonderful human skill, because we are, after all, only human, is motivated reasoning. Motivated reasoning is a type of cognitive bias that refers to the tendency of individuals to reach conclusions driven by their emotional or personal interests rather than objective evidence. Or in other words, in situations where we can recognize “our problem,” relying on that, we have a good chance of judging very motivationally.

For example, if someone holds strong health, political, or ideological beliefs, they may be motivated to ignore or dismiss evidence that contradicts their viewpoint. Very often, they will also selectively seek and/or interpret evidence in a way that supports those very beliefs. This process of motivated reasoning can lead individuals to draw conclusions not based on objective evidence and can result in irrational or flawed thinking.

Motivated thinking can also occur in other contexts, such as in the workplace, where individuals may be motivated, for example, to protect their reputation, status, or financial interests. In these situations, motivated reasoning can lead to a distorted or biased perception of events and can affect the ability to make decisions and solve problems. It is important to be aware of motivated thinking and its potential to influence our thinking and decision-making processes. By recognizing when we are engaged in motivated thinking, we can work to overcome it and strive for a more objective and rational understanding of the world.

In this whole situation, our brain is structured in such a way that it can easily trick us. So, in addition to the brain parts described above that help us be, perhaps, irrational beings, in motivated reasoning, the ventral striatum, involved in reward processing, will gladly get involved and provide us with “positive feedback”-precisely for those beliefs that align with our goals and values.

What other biases cause us problems with critical thinking?

Cognitive biases, or simply biases, are another “problem” our brain creates for us. Cognitive shortcuts are, simply put, systemic errors in our brain.

Biases can be a major impediment to effective critical thinking. Some common biases that can affect the critical thinking process include:

• Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek information that supports existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them.
• Anchoring bias: The tendency to over-rely on the first piece of information encountered when making a decision.
• Hindsight bias: The tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that it could have been predicted or expected.
• Availability bias: The tendency to rely on easily available information, rather than seeking the best information, when making a decision.
• Overconfidence: The tendency to overestimate one's own abilities or the accuracy of one's own beliefs and predictions.
• Halo effect: The tendency for one positive characteristic to influence our overall impression of a person or situation.
• Stereotypes: The tendency to make assumptions about a person or group based on past experiences or beliefs.

What is important to say is that we must learn to be aware of these biases and work to counteract them to make fair and accurate assessments. This can include seeking diverse or changing existing perspectives, double-checking assumptions, and constantly questioning our own beliefs and decision-making processes.

How Does Digitalization Affect the Development of Critical Thinking, or Where Will You Hide the Person You Killed? On the second page of Google search results

Digitalization has both positive and negative effects on the development of critical thinking skills. On the one hand, increased access to information and the ability to connect with others from around the world has the potential to broaden perspectives and improve critical thinking. On the other hand, the abundance of information available online can lead to information overload, making it difficult to separate accurate and reliable information from misinformation and bias.

The increased use of social media and other digital platforms can also contribute to the spread of misinformation and reinforce existing biases. Specifically, algorithms used by search engines and social media can strengthen “our filters” to real information by presenting us with information that aligns with our existing beliefs and opinions, instead of presenting diverse perspectives.

What parts of the brain are involved in developing critical thinking?

Critical thinking involves multiple brain regions and is a complex, multidisciplinary process. Here are some of the key brain regions involved in critical thinking:

• The prefrontal cortex: This part of the brain is responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and attention control.
• The anterior cingulate cortex: This area is involved in error monitoring, alternative generation, and conflict resolution.
• The hippocampus: This area is important for memory formation and retrieval, which is crucial in evaluating information and making decisions.
• The basal ganglia: This area is involved in evaluating new information and is important in decision-making and selecting actions.
• The amygdala: This part of the brain is involved in processing emotions and can influence decision-making due to emotional involvement, of course.
• The parietal lobe: This area is involved in spatial orientation and attention, which can be important in evaluating information and making decisions.

It is important to note that critical thinking is not limited to one part of the brain, and it involves the coordination and integration of multiple brain regions and functions. Additionally, the development of critical thinking skills can be positively influenced by a stimulating environment.

Why do people lack critical thinking today?

There is research suggesting that critical thinking skills are declining. We can attribute the causes to several fronts:

• Education: We often encounter the claim that the education system does not sufficiently emphasize the development of critical thinking skills, but rather focuses on memorizing information and more or less standardized knowledge checks that do not require out-of-the-box thinking. (Except for those who decided not to study, so they are always inspired to cheat.)
• Technology: The increased use of technology and social media has led to shorter attention spans, reduced ability to focus, and reliance on instant gratification, all of which can hinder the development of critical thinking. Just think about how we scroll and swipe on our phones.
• Misinformation: The proliferation of misinformation and fake news online can make it difficult for us to distinguish accurate from inaccurate information and can erode our critical thinking skills.
• Groupthink: Just as “mob psychology” takes its toll at, for example, a football match, “groupthink psychology” does its part in critical thinking, so we will very easily tend to conform to group opinions and avoid opposing views (so as not to rock the boat).
• Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek information that confirms our opinions or attitudes is a convenient discipline through which we confirm existing beliefs and are able to ignore information that contradicts us.

The fact that critical thinking skills, like all human skills, can be learned tells us that not everything is so bleak.

Another valuable human skill

Design thinking is another valuable human skill that has become increasingly sought after in recent years. As the world around us becomes more complex, and organizations strive to remain competitive and innovative, the ability to think creatively, understand user needs, and develop solutions that meet those needs has become a key advantage.

Demand for Design Thinking is expected to continue to grow in the future, driven by a combination of factors including:

• the increasing complexity of problems and the need for an interdisciplinary approach to solving them,
• the growing importance of user-centered Design Thinking and the need for companies to understand and meet their customers' needs.

Design thinking is, bottom line, a human-centered approach to innovation that involves empathy, experimentation, and prototyping. By itself, it is a creative process that seeks to understand user needs and develop solutions that meet those needs in a sustainable and, ultimately, scalable way. Design thinking typically involves five phases:

• understanding users and their needs through observation and research,
• clearly articulating the problem and creating a shared understanding of the challenge,
• generating a wide range of ideas and potential solutions through brainstorming and collaboration,
• creating physical or digital demos of solutions for testing and iteration,
• testing and evaluating solutions with users and iterating the solutions until a final product is developed.

Design thinking requires collaboration, experimentation, and iteration. We can define it as a flexible and iterative process that encourages individuals to embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and to continue refining solutions until they meet user needs.

What is the correlation between critical thinking and Design Thinking?

Critical thinking and Design thinking are complementary skills aimed at solving complex problems in a structured and effective manner.

Critical thinking is a cognitive process that involves analyzing information, evaluating arguments, and making informed decisions based on evidence and reasoning. It is a key aspect of problem-solving, as it allows individuals to analyze and understand a problem, identify potential solutions, and make rational decisions based on available information.

Design thinking, on the other hand, is a human-centered approach to innovation that involves empathy, experimentation, and prototyping. It is a creative process that involves understanding user needs, prototyping solutions, and iterating those solutions until a final product is developed.

Both critical thinking and Design thinking require an open and flexible approach to problem-solving, as well as the ability to think creatively and iterate on ideas. When combined, critical thinking provides a structured and rational approach to evaluating “design solutions,” while Design thinking provides a creative and empathetic approach to creating and refining solutions. The correlation between critical thinking and Design thinking lies in their shared goal of creating effective solutions to complex problems through a structured and creative process.

We can also “lean” parts of the brain and their functioning into these theses. Namely, the same brain regions are involved in both critical thinking and Design thinking, although the specific processes and functions involved may differ. Critical thinking is a cognitive process that involves evaluating information, arguments, and evidence in a systematic and logical way to reach well-reasoned conclusions. The prefrontal cortex, which, as we have already said, is involved in decision-making, reasoning, and problem-solving, plays a key role in critical thinking. On the other hand, Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and experimentation. In this case, the ventral striatum, which is involved in reward processing and motivation, provides positive “energy” for creative and innovative ideas. Finally, although some of the same brain regions involved in critical thinking, such as the prefrontal cortex, may also be involved in Design thinking, the specific processes and functions involved may differ. Critical thinking emphasizes the logical and systematic evaluation of information, while Design thinking emphasizes empathy, creativity, and experimentation. And when we look at “the whole story” this way, isn't it wonderful to have integrated skills like critical thinking and emotional intelligence (Design thinking)?

Humans are experiential and environmental beings

Our experience and environment shape some of our human skills; the main question is how we can “compensate” for deficient experience without waiting ten years to “acquire” it naturally.

The answer is simple: let's go back to childhood when we most easily “collected” our human, or to simplify, social skills and “design thinking.” We probably all remember playing dodgeball, how we “fought” both on and off the field, but not how we learned to add or multiply.

And now the question arises: Can Lego® Serious Play® help develop critical thinking? Yes, it can. We uncovered Lego Serious Play in the article: https://deepproject.hr/sve-sto-ste-htjeli-znati-o-lego-serious-play-metodi-a-niste-se-usudili-pitati/ so now we will just give an example of how Lego Serious Play can be used to support the development of critical thinking skills:

• Problem Definition: A company is struggling with low employee engagement and is looking for new ways to increase motivation and satisfaction.
• Lego Model Building: Participants are given a set of Lego® bricks and asked to build a model that represents their current understanding of the problem of low employee engagement. They are encouraged to be creative and express their ideas in a tangible way.
• Sharing and Discussion: Participants are asked to share their models and explain their reasoning behind the design. They are also encouraged to ask questions, build on each other's ideas, and challenge assumptions.
• Reflection and Analysis: Participants are asked to reflect on their models and consider how they could be improved or modified to better address the problem of low employee engagement. They are encouraged to think critically and consider alternative perspectives.
• Solution Building: Participants are asked to build a collaborative model that represents the entirety of all insights, perspectives, ideas, and opinions. In the collaborative model, irrelevant parts of each person's model are removed so that only the absolute core and most important parts remain. They are encouraged to be creative, think outside the box, and consider the potential impact of their solutions.
• Final Discussion: Participants are asked to share their solution models and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. They are also encouraged to consider the feasibility and potential impact of the solutions, and to think critically about possible outcomes.

This process can be repeated multiple times, with participants building on their previous models and refining their solutions. Using Lego bricks as a tool for communication and creativity can help improve collaboration, encourage diverse thinking, and support the development of critical thinking skills.