Filters, Barriers, and
Impediments
Hindrances to critical thinking
Filters
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Allow things that meet certain criteria to flow
through while preventing others
Color or shape what comes through
Can be a useful sorting mechanism
Can be a feature of mindful and reflective
thinking
But also screen out valuable input if they
aren’t applied mindfully
Barriers
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Keep out rather than let in
May indicate the presence of non-critical, manmade,
or enculturated thinking patterns
Can be useful in some circumstances
Require some kind of monitoring
Can be removed, sometimes with heavy lifting
Unless monitored carefully, usually a hindrance to
mindful, reflective thinking
Impediments
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Often involve walls or total blockages
Often involve non-critical instead of critical
standards of thinking, so they may inhibit
mindful thinking
Often are reflexive and habitual, so they
contradict or replace reflective thinking
Must be understood before they can be
thought around
Nosich’s Impediments

Pictures formed from the news media
Pictures formed from entertainment and
pop culture
All-or-nothing thinking/black and white
Us vs. them
Stereotyping

Fear
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Nosich’s Impediments
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Educational practices (see p. 21)
Egocentrism
Developmental Thinking
Previous Commitments
Personal Experiences
Denial
The Difference Between. . .

Impediment-free thinking
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Highly unusual
Not likely to happen when subject is significant
AND

Impediment-aware thinking
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Means you are working mindfully
Lets you make allowances for your barriers and
impediments