Write a summary of Deborah Knott’s description of “critical reading.” (Assume your reader does not have access to the article and is relying on you to explain Knott’s ideas and recommendations.) According to Knott, what are the main characteristics of this kind of reading process?
Part 2
1 page long
Write a reflection about Knott’s article that considers the following ideas: We’ve discussed a number of perceptual and cognitive errors so far this semester: confirmation bias (which causes us to notice evidence that seems to fit our hypothesis and ignore evidence that would disconfirm it), inatttentional blindness (which leaves us unaware of evidence that is right in front of us), pareidolia (which convinces us we are seeing meaningful patterns in what may be randomness), making assumptions based on areas of ignorance (which makes us grab a conveniently-offered explanation when there may be other, better explanations that we’re unaware of), and a resulting overconfidence in our ability to evaluate and interpret evidence. Keeping these in mind, write a reflection in which you consider Deborah Knott’s description of “critical reading.” What are some challenges in reading critically that Knott may not have thought of? What sorts of strategies might be useful in helping us recognize and work around these biases when we try to read critically?
Sample Solution
