Understanding the relationship between critical thinking and perception is essential for their effective use. The relationship between critical thinking and perception is not a clear line. To achieve this understanding, critical thinking and perception must first be defined before a complete understanding of the relationship between the two can be discussed.
Critical thinking is the process of examining underlying assumptions about current evidence and interpreting and evaluating arguments for the purpose of reaching a conclusion from a new perspective (Sullivan & Decker, 1992). Tricia Devin (personal communication, June 27, 2001) defines critical thinking as, "purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based. [Critical thinking] is essential as a tool of inquiry. As such, [critical thinking] is a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one's personal and civic life. While not synonymous with good thinking, [critical thinking] is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. Devin (personal communication, June 27, 2001) further characterizes critical thinking as recognizing patterns such as errors in logic, reasoning, or the thought process to provide a means to use those patterns to solve a problem or answer a question. Identification of irrelevant or extraneous information, preconceptions, bias, and values can positively affect the process of critical thinking by reducing any inference within a certain context. Critical thinking also identifies ambiguity that can lead to more than one solution to a given problem. Thus, critical thinking implies that there is a reason or purpose to the thinking process and through the means of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information, the best decisions can be made (Devin personal communication, June 29, 2001).