Tools of Critical Thinking: Metathoughts for Psychology, Second Edition

Without a doubt, this is one of the better critical thinking books currently on the market. It carries a hefty price tag for such a short book, especially when you cut out the glossary, index, appendices and exercises, but despite that singular complaint, the book satisfies beyond expectations as a great tool to better understand thought processes and decision-making.Levy organizes his book into "metathoughts" that are grouped together according to usage. He does an excellent job of providing an in-depth analysis, while also remaining concise - rarely does an explanation get too lengthy. The in-text examples fully portray the ideas that he's attempting to get across, while additional exercises are provided for those that want to experiment a bit more.There is no shortage of value in this book, and even those with an excellent background in logic, rhetoric or psychology will find ideas to improve their thought processes. Levy talks about language bias, the reification error (an extremely important - and often overlooked - error in the social sciences), tautologies, the naturalistic fallacy, the Barnum effect, how causation and correlation interrelate on different levels, common attribution mistakes, errors in reasoning, and biases in arguments. Levy even goes as far as to analyze how his own book is essentially a trade-off, and how the reader needs to understand the advantages and disadvantages of using a toolbox of techniques such as his metathoughts.In addition to the plethora of valuable content, Levy peppers his book with humor and insightful quotations to round it out. There is very little that can be critically said about it outside of grumblings over price. Levy even includes an appendix that summaries all of the metathoughts and antidotes neatly to use as a quick reference when needed.

By far, this is one of the best books on critical thinking I've ever read. It provides excellent definitions and examples for concepts, and uses real life examples to reinforce the meaning and application of terms and concepts.The activities in each chapter are really good to use in classes. This book really makes you rethink your own thinking patterns and can lead to not just psychology students changing how they think, but also everyday individuals. I highly recommend this book. I think this book is must needed in today's insanely irrational thinking environment these days.

Although this textbook was written for students, instructors, researchers, and therapist in psychology, it is not difficult to follow. There are 30 short chapters, each devoted to a single aspect of thinking that can lead you astray."Part One, Conceptualizing Phenomena" - There are nine lessons on what to watch out for when describing, naming, or comparing something."Part Two, Explaining Phenomena" - There are five lessons on causation. Primarily, lessons in the logic needed to determine what causes an event or behavior."Part Three, Common Misattributions" - The next five lessons deal with errors made in judging behavior. When you observe someone's act, it is not always possible to determine why they did it, even when you think the reason is obvious; the cause may be hidden."Part Four, Investigating Phenomena" - When you are conducting research, these seven lessons will help you improve the validity of your results. It is all too easy for your own viewpoint and biases to distort the conclusions of your study."Part Five, Other Biases and Fallacies in Thinking" - There are only three lessons in this part. Errors when using prototypes, the first explanation that comes to mind, and assuming you can solve a problem by knowing its cause."Part Six, Conclusions" - In this last part, there is only one lesson. When making any decision, there are always trade-offs. Consider your options; for example, if you are considering this book, have you looked at similar books first?Following these chapters is a "Metathoughts Summary and Antidote Table", which, for each chapter, gives a short one paragraph summary followed by a few antidotes to help you avoid the thinking errors covered. At the end of the book is an extensive "Glossary" of terms and concepts.

Its very informative and it will explore more about the inner self. Am still reading it and it is a fascinating reading.

The metathoughts are very valuable, helps in critical examination of one's thinking. It's not a very lengthy textbook, but does take time to remember and apply the metathoughts.The author is conversational, witty, humorous while being enlightening at the same time.

A fantastic book that is informative, well-cited, and interactive; furthermore, it has practical purposes for the psychology student, classroom instructor, therapist, and researcher.

One of the more incredible books to read and then apply. I use it in my Graduate Psychology classes to help budding therapists be more effective.

This book was a requirement for my Senior Seminar class. It is an easy read and great for helping improve your critical thinking skills. In this day and age with so many diverse people, everyone needs to read this book to help them stop being so judgmental of others who do not act, look or think like they do. I will refer back to this book for years to come.