Abstract
Critical thinking has been widely regarded as an indispensable cognitive skill in the 21st century. However, its associations with the affective aspects of psychological functioning are not well understood. This study explored the interrelations between trait mindfulness, critical thinking, cognitive distortions, and psychological distress using a moderated mediation model. The sample comprised 287 senior secondary school students (57% male and 43% female) aged 14–19 from a local secondary school in Hong Kong. The results revealed that high critical thinking was significantly associated with high levels of psychological distress when mindful awareness was low among adolescents. Trait mindfulness was found to moderate the indirect effects of critical thinking on psychological distress via cognitive distortions as the mediator. Specifically, in low trait mindfulness conditions, critical thinking was found to associate positively with cognitive distortions and psychological distress. Such associations were not observed in high trait mindfulness conditions. The findings reveal that though critical thinking has positive associations with cognitive functioning, its associations with affective well-being might be negative. The results also suggest that mindfulness might play an important role in preventing the possible psychological distress associated with critical thinking. Educational implications relating to the fostering of critical thinking and mindful awareness are discussed.
Highlights
Critical Thinking as a 21st Century SkillWith the fast-paced technological advances, the rise of the “knowledge economy,” and the information overload brought about by the internet, educators from all over the world have been re-evaluating the skill sets that are vital for people to thrive in the 21st century
No significant correlations were observed between critical thinking and the measures of cognitive distortions, mindfulness, and depression
Critical thinking is a highly sought after 21st century skill that allows people to make good judgment and decisions
Summary
Critical Thinking as a 21st Century SkillWith the fast-paced technological advances, the rise of the “knowledge economy,” and the information overload brought about by the internet, educators from all over the world have been re-evaluating the skill sets that are vital for people to thrive in the 21st century. Research has shown that critical thinking is associated with numerous positive cognitive outcomes such as academic attainment (Bitner, 1991), cognitive performance (Witt, 2002), decision-making abilities (Shin, 1998), and decreased cognitive bias and heuristic thinking (Facione and Facione, 2001). As scientific research and findings are becoming more accessible to the general public, a certain degree of scientific literacy is highly desirable, if not essential. Such scientific literacy can be developed by learning the skills and techniques in critical thinking (Britt et al, 2014). Critical thinking has been shown to be useful in social and interpersonal problem solving and decision making (Ku, 2009)
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