Introduction
Scientific thinking is one of the three styles of critical thinking and it is applied during decision making process in conjunction with the other two which are logical as well as persuasive thinking. There are situations where all the three styles are applied but in some instances, one or two are applied depending on the context of a task. Scientific thinking is normally applied as an initial step in various tasks especially where a high level of technicality is required. When critical thinking is applied during decision making processes that take place in companies and their individual departments, considerable benefits are accumulated. (Wilkinson, 2008)
Scientific Thinking
During the application of scientific thinking, the main objective is normally to learn research basics which assist in the consumption of related information of a scientific nature. Scientific thinking is carried out systematically where four main steps are followed with the first one being observation. Observation makes scientific thinkers to become curious, which is accompanied by the desire to get more information concerning the task or problem in question. Through observation, one collects useful information that is later applied in definition as well as description of the problem in order to get the direction through which it should be solved. The second step of scientific thinking is hypothesis formulation where relationships between the actual problem that had been previously defined through observation and probable solutions are presented. Scientific thinkers formulate several hypotheses that are related to each other and the problem as well in order to have a variety when verifying them. This is followed by experimentation of the previously formulated set of hypotheses where they are put into practical tests that are related to the problem. Experimentation helps scientific thinkers in determination of the correctness of hypotheses where correct hypotheses are applied in the actual problem solving process. Verification forms the last and final step where correct hypotheses are put into more consideration by getting back up information which can later be used to formulate theories. The four steps of scientific thinking make it more reliable than the other two critical thinking styles, since its resultant information is normally based on objective sources. (Halpern, 1997)
Scientific thinking is influenced by various factors among them being religion, culture, gender as well as ethnicity of the scientific thinkers. Examples of instances where scientific thinking can be applied in the day to day lives is when consumers are supposed to determine what they need to purchase especially when parents are buying items to their children. Parents can apply scientific thinking to respond to demands made by their children by determining whether their responses portray a good picture about them, which would be a reflection of good parenting as well as responsibilities that come with their actions. In the cooperate world, scientific thinking can be applied in the determination of the place where printing devices should be located in an organization which requires adjustments in the operation of information technology. The compatibility of system devices and research on the best products that can be used to offer system flexibility is determined using scientific thinking. (Wilkinson, 2008)
Conclusion
Scientific thinking is very important in decision making processes in all areas of life. However, it cannot be applied alone in cases where one wants to get good results and integration of persuasive as well as logical thinking styles is encouraged. For instance; after the determination of the appropriate systems to be applied in the department of information technology adjustments, persuasive thinking is applied to convince other staff members and managers that the chosen devices and location are the best. Fixing devices in the correct way in order to come up with proper networking in an organization needs the application of creative or logical thinking. Therefore, success of both logical and persuasive thinking has a great reliance on scientific thinking. (Halpern, 1997)
References
Halpern D. (1997): Critical thinking across the curriculum, Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates pp 16-17.
Wilkinson J. (2008): A critical Thinking approach, United States: University of Michigan pp 34-35.