Deep Thinking Skills

What follows is a list of the kinds of "deep thinking" you can do with examples of questions to consider that encourage and reflect these different kinds of thinking skills. You might consider formulating and addressing some of these questions in the context of your journaling or class discussions. Don't just pick any question at random. Select those that make sense within the context of the material you are considering. Those questions noted below are just suggestions. You are encouraged to modify them or even compose your own that would fit within any of the categories listed.

When writing questions for reflection, use the following guidelines:

• Ask questions that do not have a right or wrong answer

• Ask questions that begin with "discuss," "examine," "describe," "explain," or "compare"

• Ask follow-up questions

• Ask questions that have several possible answers

• Do not ask narrow, focused questions - make your questions more open-ended

• Do not ask questions that have a fact for an answer - deep thinking questions seek out personal perspective, interpretation, application, etc. - your own thoughts (or the thoughts of others)

Metacognition (thinking about your own thinking processes): 

What kind of thinking do you most often use? Use the list below as a check list to take stock of the thinking you most often exhibit in your writing. See if you can increase the diversity of kinds of deep thinking you use. Once you have written a paper or essay, before submitting it, read through it and see how often and how many of these thinking skills you have used. Is your writing a mere collection of facts or is at least 50% your use of the facts in service of "deep thinking"? You can improve your work by incorporating some of these deep thinking skills.

Comprehension (Understanding): to convert information into a form that is personally meaningful, i.e., that makes sense to the individual who is learning it.

• How would you put ____ into your own words? (Paraphrasing)

• What would be an example of _____? (Illustrating)

• How would you translate ____ into visual form? (Concept-Mapping)

Application: to apply abstract or theoretical principles to concrete, practical situations.

• How can you make use of ____?

• How could ____ be put into practice?

• How would ____ be converted into an action plan?

Analysis: to break down or dissect information into its component parts in order to detect the relationship among the parts, or the relationship between the parts and the whole. (For example, identifying the underlying causes or sources of disagreement during a class discussion.)

• What are the most important/significant ideas or elements of ____? (Prioritization)

• What assumptions/biases underlie or are hidden within ____? (Deconstruction)

• What parts of _____ would be similar to/different than  _____? (Comparison-and-Contrast)

Synthesis: to build up or connect separate pieces of information to form a larger, more coherent pattern. (Examples: Connecting related ideas discussed in separate sections or units of a course into a single, unified product, such as a concept map. Integrating ethical concepts learned in a course and philosophy with marketing concepts learned in a business course to produce a set of ethical guidelines for business marketing and advertising practices.)

• How can this idea be combined with _____ to create a more compete or comprehensive understanding of ____? (Integration)

• How could these different ideas be grouped together into a more general category? (classification)

• How could these separate ____ be reorganized or rearranged to produce a more comprehensive understanding of the “big  picture?”

Evaluation: to critically judge the validity (truth), morality (ethics), or aesthetic (artistic) value of ideas, data, or products by using relevant assessment criteria (standards for judging quality).

• How would you judge the accuracy or validity of _______?

• How would you evaluate the ethical (moral) implications or consequences of _____?

• How would you rate the aesthetic quality (beauty) of ____?

Deduction: to draw conclusions about particular instances that are logically consistent with, or derive from general principles and premises.

• What specific conclusions can be drawn from this general  ____?

• If this general  ____ were true, then it would logically follow that ____ ?

• What particular actions or practices would be consistent with this general ____?

Induction: to infer (derive or draw out) well-reasoned generalizations or principles from individual instances or specific examples. (For example, identifying recurrent themes or categories that emerge during a class discussion.) 

• What are the broader implications of ____?

• What patterns or themes emerge from ____?

• What can be extrapolated or extended from this particular ____ that may have more general or universal value? 

Adduction: to make a case for an argument or position by accumulating supporting evidence in the form of logical arguments (rational thinking) or research evidence (empirical reasoning).

• What proof exists for ____?

• What are logical arguments for _____?

• What research evidence supports _____?

Refutation: to make a case against an argument or position by accumulating contradictory evidence in the form of logical arguments (rational thinking) or research findings (empirical reasoning).

• What proof exists that ____ is false?

• What are logical arguments against _____?

• What research evidence contradicts ____?

Balanced Thinking: to carefully consider arguments/evidence for and against a particular position or viewpoint.

• What are the strengths/advantages and weaknesses/disadvantages of ____?

• What evidence supports and contradicts ____?

• What are arguments for and counterarguments against ____?

Multiple Perspective-Taking: to view an issue from a variety of viewpoints, standpoints, or positions in order to gain a more comprehensive and holistic understanding. 

• How would people from different ethnic or racial groups view this ____?

• How would people from different socioeconomic backgrounds be affected by ____?

• How would people who differ in age or gender react to ____?

Causal Reasoning: to identify cause-effect relationships between different ideas or actions.

• How would you explain why ______ occurred?

• What is responsible for ____?

• How would ____ affect or influence ____?

Ethical Reasoning: to identify what is morally right/ wrong or good/bad about particular ideas, attitudes, or practices.

• What does ____say about a person’s values?

• What are the moral implications of ____?

• Are the expressed or professed convictions of ____ consistent with actual commitments and observable actions?

Creative Thinking: to generate imaginative ideas, unique perspectives, innovative strategies, or novel (alternative) approaches to traditional practices.

• What might be a metaphor or analogy for ____?

• What could be invented to ____?

• What might happen if ____? (hypothetical reasoning).

Resource: Joe Cuseo, Faculty, Psychology & Director, Freshman Seminar, Marymount College