Abstract
In this article, I establish the need for educational programs that teach the processes needed for critical thinking. Thinking processes are conceptualized as being either primarily incidental (nonconscious and effortless) or deliberate (conscious and effortful). Instruction that is designed to help students improve their ability to think must be based on deliberate instruction on the processes that underlie complex, reasoned thought. Separate critical-thinking courses based on these principles show considerable improvement in students' critical-thinking abilities, and these abilities spontaneously transfer to novel settings. I urge all colleges to offer courses designed to improve how students think.
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