Exam 15: Science and Pseudoscience

A statement such as "You like things to go your way" used in general personality descriptions is an example of _____.

Personal experience, anecdotal evidence, paid testimonials, and folklore are all reliable forms of evidence.

Which of the following is NOT one of the six marks of pseudoscience discussed in chapter 15?

Cold reading is a method scientists use to test subjects for extrasensory perception.

In the context of the criteria of explanatory success, the _____ of a scientific explanation refers to how well it harmonizes with the rest of science.

Suppose I claim that cell phones cause tumors in your brain but refuse to run any tests to confirm my hypothesis, claiming that it's obvious that cell phones cause brain tumors because they emit signals and we hold them close to our heads, what mistake have I made?

If a scientific idea is popular, comforting, or long accepted, it can be accepted even if it does not fit with the observable facts or the clear evidence of our senses.

Astrologers have failed to identify a plausible physical force or mechanism that could explain astrology's alleged influences.

Which of the following is included in the basic pattern of scientific reasoning?

Pseudoscience explains away or ignores falsifying data.

The most reliable way to answer the question "Does Vitamin C prevent colds?" is by performing _____.

Astrology has absolutely no scientific basis because _____.

Pseudoscience is _____.

Which of the following is a vital part of randomized experimental studies?

_____ involve using an experimental group that has already been exposed to a suspected causal agent, finding a controlled group that has not been exposed to the agent but matches the experimental group in all other relevant respects, and then tracking the two groups over time to determine a cause-and-effect relationship.

Pseudoscience often makes claims that are not testable.

Which pattern of scientific reasoning is often used to confirm scientific hypotheses?

Which of the following is a deductively valid pattern of reasoning and used widely in scientific reasoning as a way of disconfirming, or falsifying, scientific hypotheses?

Scientific hypotheses are tested by considering their implications and then testing those implications by means of observation or experiment.

Science advances not by throwing out well-established scientific truths but by extending those truths into new domains and by building on existing knowledge, not by starting from scratch.