Final answer:
In the Mardsen Giberter activity, you may not be engaging in critical thinking, which requires a purposeful and analytical approach to problem-solving. Instead, you might engage in more passive or superficial activities. Nonetheless, to truly develop critical thinking, effortful metacognitive behaviors are necessary.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Mardsen Giberter activity, you are not actually engaging in critical thinking; what you are doing instead can vary. Without additional context, it's difficult to provide a precise action you're taking instead of critical thinking. However, it may involve rote memorization, passive reception of information, or uncritically accepting arguments without analysis. Critical thinking involves a conscious, purposeful, and systematic effort to understand and evaluate arguments based on evidence and logic.
To improve metacognition and critical reflection, one must practice metacognitive behaviors, such as self-interrogating and interpreting ongoing experiences. This effortful attention may seem unnatural and tiring but is essential for engaging in disciplined, rational thought.
Activities that contribute to our mental growth, such as creating, repairing, or having a beneficial impact, stand in contrast to those with less substantive outcomes, like achieving virtual milestones in video games, which do not necessarily promote critical thinking applicable to real-world challenges.