Chapter 22 Flashcards
Which of the following is Paul’s definition of critical thinking?
a. Thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better
b. Purposeful, outcome-directed thinking based upon a body of non-scientific knowledge derived from research and other courses of evidence
c. Making sense of our world by carefully examining our thinking and the thinking of others in order to clarify and improve our understanding
d. Understanding of the argument, recognizing fallacies, and distinguishing premises from conclusions
A: Paul (1992) provided a rather interesting and somewhat amusing view of critical thinking as “thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.” Other definitions include the making sense of our world through examination of our thinking and the thinking of others (questioning) and understanding of the argument, recognition of fallacies, and the recognition of premises from conclusions.
An instructor has just completed teaching a class on critical thinking to a group of sophomore nursing students. On the test the instructor asked, “Which of the following are the basic components required for the development of sound critical thinking skills?” Which of the following responses would indicate that further teaching is needed?
a. Critical reading c. Critical listening
b. Critical writing d. Critical evaluation
D: The four basic aptitudes—reading, writing, listening, and speaking (not evaluation)—are essential for the development of effective critical thinking skills. While being able to critically evaluate a given situation or decision is a valuable tool, it uses all of these critical aptitudes in order for the process of evaluation to take place.
In class, students tell the teacher that they often watch or observe themselves as they perform tasks or make decisions about particular situations. The teacher would most likely inform the students that what they are doing is called:
a. critical thinking. c. intuitive thinking.
b. decision making. d. reflective thinking.
D: Pesut and Herman (1999) define reflective thinking as the watching or observing of ourselves while we perform a task or make a decision about a particular situation. Intuitive thinking concerns the use of an innate sense or “gut” feeling about a certain situation.
Which of the following is not an integral part of reflective thinking?
a. Evaluating a decision
b. Observing themselves while performing tasks
c. Thinking about what has happened
d. Implementing changes or improvements
D: The process of reflection, as described by Pesut and Herman (1999), states that reflective thinking is watching or observing ourselves as we perform a task or make a decision about a particular situation. Reflection allows one to evaluate decisions and think about what has occurred. While the reflective process may enhance decisions to implement changes or improvements, this is not an integral part of the reflective thinking process.
A nurse uses intuitive thinking when making decisions because intuitive thinking:
a. can be a part of expert thinking.
b. involves emotions and feelings instead of concrete examples.
c. is a natural part of the nursing process.
d. may be a result of unconscious assessment and intervention processes.
A: Intuitive thinking has been defined as an innate feeling or sense that nurses develop to help them act in certain situations, or a “gut” feeling that something may be wrong. Alfaro-LeFevre (2003) states that the result of using intuition and drawing upon evidence at the same time to make well-reasoned decisions (decision making) is a part of the expert thinking process.
The nurse preceptor asked a new graduate nurse to explain the primary difference between the nursing process and the problem-solving and decision-making processes? The new graduate would be correct in stating that:
a. the nursing process works only for nurses.
b. the problem-solving and decision-making processes require group decision making.
c. the nursing process applies to patient situations or problems.
d. the problem-solving and decision-making processes apply to all other problems except patient-centered ones.
C: While the nursing process does include aspects of problem solving and decision making, the process consists of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation, and it is applied to patient care situations or problems (not all types of problems). Decision making and problem solving, on the other hand, are processes that can be applied to all types of problems.
What starts with a problem and ends with a solution?
a. Decision making c. Problem planning
b. Problem solving d. Critical thinking
The process of beginning with a problem and ending with a solution is called problem solving. Critical thinking may be involved but does not necessarily begin with a problem or end with its solution. Decision making involves certain behaviors of making a selection and implementing a course of action from possible alternatives, and problem planning involves an organized plan for real or potential problems but not necessarily for their solution.
The new graduate considers and selects interventions from a collection of actions that assist the achievement of a desired result. The new graduate in most likely implementing which of the following strategies?
a. Critical thinking c. Decision making
b. Problem solving d. Reflective thinking
C: DeLaune and Ladner (2006) defined decision making as “considering and selecting interventions from a repertoire of actions that facilitate the achievement of a desired outcome.” Critical and reflective thinking are processes that may be used during the decision-making process, and all of these processes may be used in the solving of problems.
During the evaluation and review of departmental practices, the nurse manager uses PERT because it is a:
a. tool used for timing of decisions. c. decision tree.
b. type of conditioner. d. type of PDA.
A: The program evaluation and review technique (PERT) is a tool used in decision making for assessing the timing of decisions. It includes a flowchart of the sequence of actions needed to accomplish a project as well as descriptions of those actions and the timing involved.
In order to visualize a complete picture of unit projects, including the time from the beginning to the end, the nurse manager would most likely use which of the following?
a. Flowchart c. Pareto diagram
b. Decision tree d. PERT
D: PERT (the program evaluation and review technique) diagrams are useful for showing the complete sequence of timing from the beginning of a project to the end. They include the tasks involved, the amount of time needed to complete those tasks, and the sequence of events required for the conclusion of the project.
You have just completed an in-service on the advantages of working in groups. You recognize that further clarification is needed if one of the participants indicated that which of the following is an advantage of groups? “Groups:
a. are an easy and inexpensive way to share information.”
b. provide an opportunity for face-to-face communication.”
c. obscures the identities of individual group members.”
d. can facilitate socialization.”
C: Some known advantages of groups and working in groups are that they are an easy and inexpensive way to share information, provide an opportunity for face-to-face interaction, and can be a means for socialization. A disadvantage is that they tend to obscure one’s individual identity and may tend to promote groupthink behaviors.
When questioning the participants of your in-service program on the disadvantages of working in groups, which response by participants would indicate that further teaching is needed? “Some of the disadvantages of working in groups include:
a. the fact that working in groups can be time consuming and it can foster dependency.”
b. a potential for personality conflicts and for individual opinions to be influenced by others.”
c. promotion of ownership of problems and solutions.”
d. inequity of time to share individual information and dependency may be fostered.”
C: Some known disadvantages of group and group decision making are that individual opinions and thoughts are influenced by others, dependency may be fostered, they are time consuming, there is an inequity of time available for individuals to share information or opinions, and there is the potential for personality conflicts. An advantage of groups is the promotion of ownership of solutions and problems, not a disadvantage.
You are implementing the decision-making process, and you decide that at this time it is too early to do which of the following?
a. Identify the need for a decision
b. Identify alternatives/actions with benefits/consequences
c. Decide on the action
d. Intervene and evaluate the decision
D: The five steps of decision making can be applied to almost all situations. They consist of identifying the need for a decision, determining the goal or outcome, identifying the alternatives/actions with their associated benefits/consequences, deciding on the action to take, and implementing (not intervening) and evaluating the decision.
Vroom and Yetton (1973) identified eight questions that may help managers to decide when a group decision is called for. Which of the following is not one of those eight questions?
a. Does the individual nurse have all the information needed?
b. Is it absolutely critical that the individual group accept the decision before its implementation?
c. Does the course of action chosen make a difference to the organization?
d. How does this decision impact relationships with internal and external stakeholders?
D: Some of the eight questions that are useful for nurses when deciding whether to use an individual or group process for decision making are “Does the individual nurse have all the information needed?”, “Is it absolutely critical that the individual group accept the decision before its implementation?”, and “Does the course of action chosen make a difference to the organization?” How the decision impacts relationships with both internal and external stakeholders is a good consideration in certain instances, but it is not part of Vroom and Yetton’s recommended questioning.
A nursing instructor tested a group of students on information related to the use of groups in the hospital. Which response by the students would indicate that they know the key component of the nominal group technique?
a. It is useful when there are nominal resources available.
b. It is useful when there are nominal people involved.
c. It is timely.
d. It is nonverbal.
D: The nominal group technique is another type of group decision making that can be useful in certain situations. Nominal refers to the nonverbal aspects of this technique in that in the first step, no discussion is involved and group members write out their ideas or responses to questions posed by the group leader.
