Exam 7: Informal Reasoning

Identify what you consider to be a true causal chain of reasoning, or a false chain of causal reasoning. Explain what makes you believe the causal sequence is true or untrue.

Some scholars maintain that argument by analogy is one of the weakest forms of inductive reasoning, but at the same time, they acknowledge that analogies are one of the most powerful, persuasive forms of inductive reasoning. Explain why this is the case.

Explain the primary difference(s) between correlation and causation, then provide an example of each that highlights the difference(s).

A cause that is capable of producing an effect all by itself is:

Cultural stereotypes such as "blondes are dumb," and "white men can't jump," are based on which form of reasoning?

What is the difference between structural features of an analogy and superficial features of an analogy? Provide your own example of an analogy (not from the text or class lecture) that illustrates the distinction.

Choose one of the following types of inductive reasoning-sign, analogy, or cause-effect-then identify specific tests that should be used to evaluate that form of inductive reasoning.

The statements, "The Pound Sterling is to London what the Brazilian Real is to Rio de Janeiro," "Fahrenheit is to the USA what centigrade is to Europe," and "A fox is to a chicken what a cat is to a mouse," all rely on which type of reasoning?

The statement, "No one ever won a race without taking the first step," represents which type of cause?

In the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," the most likely causal inference is:

One parent claims "Kids need a good smack every now and then, or they turn out to be brats." Another parent disagrees, claiming "I'd never spank my child, because I would be modeling aggression, and it might make her more hostile and aggressive." What type of reasoning are the parents using?

Where there is smoke, there is fire.