Critical Thinking During the Adult Years: Has the Developmental Function Changed over the Last Four Decades?

Abstract

Age, sex, and education differences in critical thinking during the adult years were investigated. The Watson-Glaser (1980) Critical Thinking Appraisal was administered to 60 men and women between the ages of 20 and 79. Regression analyses indicated that age was significantly related to overall critical thinking: Performance decreased with increasing age. Education was also significantly related to critical thinking: Performance increased with increasing education. However, an interaction between age and education in the analysis of total critical thinking scores indicated that education was significantly related to critical thinking only in the later adult years. No sex differences were found in critical thinking performance.