Discussion: Critical Thinking: Evaluating Information

As you have noted throughout your master’s program, psychological knowledge stems mainly from research. Knowledge of the world, in addition to coming from direct experience and observation, comes from many sources, including journals, textbooks, experts, and various media resources (television, newspapers, and the internet). An important question regarding these resources is: Are they all credible? How do you distinguish fact from fiction in evaluating research information, regardless of its source? This Discussion addresses the importance of critical thinking in evaluating information obtained through various sources, including psychological research. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill in life as well as for completing your Capstone Project.

For this Discussion, you will examine resources on critical thinking and the “Capstone Project Required Content Overview” to explain the importance of critical thinking and how you will apply this skill to completing the Capstone Project.

To Prepare

• From the Learning Resources, review the “Capstone Project Required Content Overview” document.
• From the Learning Resources, review the “Critical Thinking Resources.”
• Review the course Syllabus.

Post an explanation of the importance of critical thinking and the implications of not questioning information. Based on this week’s Learning Resources, describe how you will use critical thinking to complete the written assignments and develop the final paper.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Capstone Project Required Content Overview

Walden University Academic Skills Center. (n.d.). Critical thinking skills. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ASCsuccess/crit…

Required Media

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-l). Webinar transcripts. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=465763&…
On this webpage, review the following webinar:

• Demonstrating Critical Thinking in Writing Assignments

Note: The approximate length of this webinar is 60 minutes.

Library Resource Skills Resources

Walden University Library. (n.d.). Database search skills: Introduction. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/databas…

Walden University Library (Producer). (2019, November 25). Research for literature review assignments [Video]. YouTube.
Note: The approximate length of this media program is 4 minutes.

Academic Writing Resources

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

• Chapter 8, “Works Credited in the Text” (pp. 253–278)
• Chapter 9, “Reference List” (pp. 279–309)
• Chapter 10, “Reference Examples” (pp. 311–352)

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-b). Citations: Overview. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/a…
As you review this page, include a review of the following videos:

• Methods to the Madness: Creating Citations From Reference Entries
• Using & Crediting Sources: Citing Paraphrases
• Using & Crediting Sources: Citing Quotations

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-g). Reference list: Common reference list examples. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/a…

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-e). Master’s capstone writing: Home. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/m…

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-a). About Grammarly: An automated writing feedback tool. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/g…

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-k). Webinars: Scholarly writing. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/w…
On this webpage, review the following webinar:

• Improving Your Writing: Strategies for Revising, Proofreading, and Using Feedback

Note: The approximate length of this webinar is 60 minutes.

Document: SafeAssign Student Tutorial
Note: This document can be found in the Course Information link in the Blackboard Classroom under the Academic Integrity section.