In this example, you will use several of the elements of thought to analyze a realistic situation.

You will:

1. Identify information/data, conclusions/inferences, and related underlying assumptions.

2. Challenge the underlying assumptions, and provide implications (what may happen), should the existing assumptions not hold. Note: your task does not include giving the character advice, or coming up with a solution to his/her problem. The objective of this analysis is to better understand the situation, and identify biases in the character's thinking.

See below for rubric/assignment.

RUBRIC :

Data/

Information

Does not identify any pieces of information/data, which are verifiable, accurate, relevant, and clear. 0 points

Correctly identifies 1 piece of information/data, which is verifiable, accurate, relevant, and clear. 3 points

Correctly identifies 2 pieces of information/data, which are verifiable, accurate, relevant, and clear. 6 points

Correctly identifies 3 pieces of information/data, which are verifiable, accurate, relevant, and clear. 9 points

Correctly identifies 4 pieces of information/data, which are verifiable, accurate, relevant, and clear. 12 points

Inferences

Conclusions

Fails to identify inferences/conclusions. 0 points

Correctly identifies 1 inference/conclusion, which is situation specific, written from the characters' point of view, and based on the data. 5 points

Correctly identifies 2 inferences/conclusions, which are situation specific, written from the characters' point of view, and based on the data. 10 points

Correctly identifies 3 inferences/conclusions, which are situation specific, written from the characters' point of view, and based on the data. 15 points

Correctly identifies 4 inferences/conclusions, which are situation specific, written from the characters' point of view, and based on the data. 20 points

Assumptions

Fails to correctly identify assumptions 0 points

Correctly identifies 1 assumption, which is generalized, represents the character's beliefs. 5 points

Correctly identifies 2 assumptions, which are generalized, represent the character's beliefs. 10 points

Correctly identifies 3 assumptions, which are generalized, represent the character's beliefs. 15 points

Correctly identifies 4 assumptions, which are generalized, represent the character's beliefs. 20 points

Alternate explanation

Fails to correctly identify an alternate explanation 0 points

Correctly identifies 1 alternate explanation, which is a plausible explanation for the data and differs from the corresponding assumption. 5 points

Correctly identifies 2 alternate explanations, which are plausible explanations for the data and are different from the corresponding assumptions. 10 points

Correctly identifies 3 alternate explanations, which are plausible explanations for the data and are different from the corresponding assumptions. 15 points

Correctly identifies 4 alternate explanations, which are plausible explanations for the data and are different from the corresponding assumptions. 20 points

Implications

Fails to provide a correct implication. 0 points

Correctly identifies 1 implication, which directly relates to the assumption not holding. 5 points

Correctly identifies 2 implications, which directly relate to the assumption not holding. 10 points

Correctly identifies 3 implications, which directly relate to the assumption not holding. 15 points

Correctly identifies 4 implications, which directly relate to the assumption not holding. 20 points

Variety

No creativity or variety 0 points

Some creativity/variety of examples 4 points

Creative and wide variety of examples. 8 points

ASSIGNMENT:

The New Guy - Competition at Work

Tonya has been working as a software engineer in RTP for 10 years now. She is part of a 6-person collaborative team. When Covid hit, her job quickly transitioned to work from home, with work meetings taking place over Zoom. While this was a challenging adjustment for everyone on the team, it hit Tonya especially hard because she is a mother with two young children. Lately, she has been very anxious about her position, and is afraid that the newest hire, Gil, a young recruit fresh out of college, is trying to usurp her responsibilities. When the boss asks who wants to take on a new task, Gil jumps right in before she has a chance to consider it, saying that he has plenty of time to devote to it since he doesn't have kids and can't go out and socialize due to covid. Sometimes she doesn't even hear about the assignment until after the fact, when Gil is getting kudos for it.

It is not unusual for her internet screen to freeze up during meetings, since her family is also using it for school and teleconferencing. Once, her image froze with a funny expression and afterward Gil circulated the picture on the local social media with a silly caption on it. It wasn't in bad taste, but she didn't want to be a "meme".

Tonya is often interrupted by Gil during the online meetings and can hardly get a word in. When she does get the rare opportunity to talk, her children interrupt her with requests for snacks or attention. There have been a few times where she forgot to turn off her mic, and everyone heard her talking to her kids. Gil wrote MUTE YOURSELF in the chat in all caps, with several smiling emojis after it.

Lately she has noticed that when she is speaking, Gil will turn his camera off. She finds this offensive but is afraid to mention it. When she has an idea for a solution to a problem, she gets nothing but pushback and arguments from the others. Then after a few rounds of argument, Gil will mention the same idea with different words, and the team decides it is the best approach.

Tonya is frustrated and anxious and wants to take control of the situation. She thinks that she will have a private meeting with the manager to discuss Gil's behavior. She wants to make it clear that he shouldn't joke about her or take her ideas and get credit, and that he shouldn't be the first choice when tasks are doled out. Just because she has more going on at home, doesn't mean she can't still do her job as well as she did before.

Fill Out Table

Data Information	Inferences Conclusions	Assumption leading to inferences and conclusions	Alternate explanation: What might be happening that contradicts the assumption	Implications (what could happen) if this assumption doesn't apply to this situation