Thinking Versus Critical Thinking Assignment 2022

Thinking Versus Critical Thinking 1
Thinking Versus Critical Thinking

Thinking Versus Critical Thinking 2
Thinking Versus Critical Thinking
Critical thinking refers to the process which involves intentional thinking of higher level
related to defining of problem, examining the available evidence and alternatives and making a
suitable choice based on rationale. This may also be indicated as a cognitive process which
deploys thinking strategies which are deployed for gathering and analysis of facts along with
evaluating their relevance based on which possible actions ought to be taken so as to accomplish
a predetermined goal. The objective of this paper is to highlight the critical thinking skills which
I used for decision making during the police simulation along with indicating measures to make
improvements in the personal though process. Also, the usage of critical thinking by police
officers is also highlighted coupled with indicating the personal barriers inhibiting the same.
In critical thinking process, it is required that the police officers must be creative and deploy
analytical thinking in the wake of existing circumstances along with relevant historical facts. In
the context of a traffic stop, there are a host of considerations which the officer on duty would
have to consider. Most people are ignorant about the same and view the officer on duty as a
moving target. Typically officers are trained to deal with various situations based on a
methodical approach with requisite discretion available for decision making. In the given
scenario, there are multiple factors at play which ought to be considered. These include the
messy state of vehicle, prior tickets, vehicle damage, reason for delay and also the speed has
been exceeded in a school zone.
During the simulation, my first reaction was to rely on the reaction of the driven when
questioned by the officer. This provided me a gut feeling that the defaulting driver should only
be given a verbal warning. However, when the same scenario was analyzed based on the