HUM/115 v10
Critical Thinking: Overcoming Barriers Matrix
Identify 6 barriers to critical thinking listed in your text. You may use the barriers you already identified in
your Week 1 assignment to get you started or choose new ones. Enter the barriers in the first column of
the table below.
Provide an example from your personal, professional, or school life for each of the 6 barriers you choose.
You may use the examples from your Week 1 assignment or choose new ones. Enter the examples from
your life in the second column of the table below.
Explain in 2- to 3-sentences how you can overcome each barrier you identified. Think about what you
might do to overcome that barrier in that situation. Consider if that strategy or method would be useful in
another situation. Enter your explanation in the third column of the table below.
Note: The first row has been completed for you as an example.
Barrier to
Critical Thinking
Example barrier
to critical
thinking:
Cognitive
dissonance
Example
How You Can Overcome the Barrier
Example from your life: I have
an opportunity for promotion
and raise in salary at work, but
the job requires more time
commitment so I would be
unable to continue my
education right now.
Example strategy for overcoming the barrier: I can
overcome my cognitive dissonance by comparing
short- and long-term advantages and disadvantages.
I am going to school to improve my career
opportunities and earn more money for my family;
the promotion would give me more money now but
going to school improves my career prospects longterm. While this promotion does not require a college
degree, future promotions would, so I would decide
to decline the promotion and continue my college
education.
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