Exam 7: Psychology in Action: Thinking Critically About the Media

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If you see your mother in the kitchen crying and incorrectly assume she is upset when her tears are really due to peeling an onion,you have failed to distinguish between _______ and inference.

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(Short Answer)

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Question 1

Correct Answer:

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observation

The manager of a grocery store shows you and your friend a tabloid headline "Flu Shots Have Been Proven to Cause the Flu." The manager says,"Those folks are right because every time I have ever taken a flu shot ,I've gotten the flu." Your friend says,"Well,that settles it.I'm not taking a flu shot." As a critical thinker,what would you tell your friend?

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Question 2

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Answer will include the suggestions for being a critical reader of information presented in the popular press,such as always being skeptical,considering the source of the information (tabloid),and determining if a control group was used in the study mentioned in the tabloid.Moreover,one must distinguish between correlation (a relationship between factors)and causation.Could there have been a third factor that actually caused the relationship between flu shots and the flu? For example,the third factor might be the season of the year being the same for the flu and for taking flu shots.One must also beware of oversimplification and using a single case as proof of something.

An advertisement promising to "unlock your hidden potential in just two hours!" should be suspect because

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Question 3

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You meet a young lady who giggles after every sentence she says.You conclude that she is a very happy person,but you later find that her giggling is due to nervousness in meeting new people.This story suggests that it is important to distinguish between

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 4

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the advertising by psychic advisors?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 5

Psychic advisers make use of the Barnum effect to create an illusion that they know private information about the people who call them.

(True/False)

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Question 6

Kevin is a law student,who reads an advertisement for a sleep-learning device that claims to have helped a law student pass the state bar exam.Kevin should

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 7

If you see a course advertised that offers a "new personality in three sessions" or "six steps to love and fulfillment in marriage," you should beware of these _______.

(Short Answer)

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Question 8

The modern media,and especially the Internet,function as a giant "echo chamber" awash with rumors,hoaxes,half truths,and urban legends like the one about giant alligators living in New York sewers.Therefore,as a critical thinker,you should

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 9

As consumption of ice cream increases during the year,so does the number of aggravated assaults.A politician advocates that ice cream be banned so that the crime rate will go down.Besides needing to be voted out of office,this politician needs to understand

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 10

Inferences,interpretations,and opinions,including the opinions of experts,have no value in science or critical thinking.

(True/False)

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Question 11

You see a friend of yours at a store,and her eyes are red and full of tears.You immediately go over to comfort her,assuming she has had another fight with her boyfriend.As you get to her,you ask what that "awful guy has done to her now." Your friend acts surprised that you would criticize the "love of her life." When you ask why she is crying,she tells you that her allergies are really acting up,and she is at the store to buy some allergy medicine.Your error with your friend occurred because you

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 12

On a talk show,a person claims to have taught 50 people how to walk barefoot on hot coals using a technique called "neurolinguistic programming," when,in reality,anyone with reasonably callused feet can do this.A critical thinker should have realized that this technique was never tested in a true experiment with a(n) _______ group.

(Short Answer)

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Question 13

Regarding psychology in the media,which of the following statements is FALSE?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 14

In 2002,baseball pitcher Randy Johnson began wearing a particular metal-impregnated twisted rope necklace designed to "stabilize the electricity flow through the body." He claimed that it improved his pitching and his batting.By the 2010 World Series,hundreds of players were wearing one,all without any scientific explanation of,or evidence for,this rope necklace's efficacy.They bought this necklace

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 15

Incredible but false stories posted on the Internet,such as "The Health Department in Oregon Looking for Someone Fluent in the Fictional Language of Klingon," illustrates the need for readers to always

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 16

A researcher determines that the crime rate in a large city is related to the phases of the moon.She concludes that the gravitational pull of the moon influences human behavior.She does not understand

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 17

A friend tells you that he conducted a scientific experiment this summer in which he talked to ten plants and measured their growth.He found that these plants grew faster and taller than any plants he had ever grown.From your friend's research,can we conclude that talking to plants is the cause of their fast growth?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 18

When newspaper or magazine articles claim the effectiveness of some product or service,it is wise to

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 19

Most of the time the stories in the media regarding psychology are based more on critical thinking or science than on just entertainment value.

(True/False)

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Question 20

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Exam 7: Psychology in Action: Thinking Critically About the Media

If you see your mother in the kitchen crying and incorrectly assume she is upset when her tears are really due to peeling an onion,you have failed to distinguish between _______ and inference.

An advertisement promising to "unlock your hidden potential in just two hours!" should be suspect because

You meet a young lady who giggles after every sentence she says.You conclude that she is a very happy person,but you later find that her giggling is due to nervousness in meeting new people.This story suggests that it is important to distinguish between

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the advertising by psychic advisors?

Psychic advisers make use of the Barnum effect to create an illusion that they know private information about the people who call them.

Kevin is a law student,who reads an advertisement for a sleep-learning device that claims to have helped a law student pass the state bar exam.Kevin should

If you see a course advertised that offers a "new personality in three sessions" or "six steps to love and fulfillment in marriage," you should beware of these _______.

The modern media,and especially the Internet,function as a giant "echo chamber" awash with rumors,hoaxes,half­ truths,and urban legends like the one about giant alligators living in New York sewers.Therefore,as a critical thinker,you should

As consumption of ice cream increases during the year,so does the number of aggravated assaults.A politician advocates that ice cream be banned so that the crime rate will go down.Besides needing to be voted out of office,this politician needs to understand

Inferences,interpretations,and opinions,including the opinions of experts,have no value in science or critical thinking.

Regarding psychology in the media,which of the following statements is FALSE?

Incredible but false stories posted on the Internet,such as "The Health Department in Oregon Looking for Someone Fluent in the Fictional Language of Klingon," illustrates the need for readers to always

A researcher determines that the crime rate in a large city is related to the phases of the moon.She concludes that the gravitational pull of the moon influences human behavior.She does not understand

When newspaper or magazine articles claim the effectiveness of some product or service,it is wise to

Most of the time the stories in the media regarding psychology are based more on critical thinking or science than on just entertainment value.

Introduction

How to Study Psychology

Introducing Psychology: Psychology, Critical Thinking, and Science

Introducing Psychology: Psychology Then and Now

Introducing Psychology: the Psychology Experiment

Introducing Psychology: Non-Experimental Research Methods

Brain and Behavior: Neurons and the Nervous System

Brain and Behavior: Brain Research

Brain and Behavior: Hemispheres and Lobes of the Cortex

Brain and Behavior: Sub-Cortex and Endocrine System

Psychology in Action: Handedness

Human Development: Heredity and Environment

Human Development: Emotional and Social Development in Childhood

Human Development: Language and Cognitive Development in Childhood

Human Development: Adolescence and Adulthood

Psychology in Action: Well-Being and Happiness

Sensation and Perception: Sensory Processes

Sensation and Perception: Vision

Sensation and Perception: The Other Senses

Sensation and Perception: Perceptual Processes

Sensation and Perception: Perception and Objectivity

Psychology in Action: Extrasensory Perception

Consciousness: States of Consciousness

Consciousness: Sleep and Dreams

Consciousness: Psychoactive Drugs

Psychology in Action: Exploring and Using Dreams

Conditioning and Learning: Types of Learning

Conditioning and Learning: Classical Conditioning

Conditioning and Learning: Operant Conditioning

Conditioning and Learning: Reinforcement and Punishment

Psychology in Action: Behavioral Self-Management

Memory: Memory Systems

Memory: Forgetting

Memory: Exceptional Memory and Improving Memory

Psychology in Action: Mnemonics

Cognition and Intelligence: Imagery, Concepts, and Language

Cognition and Intelligence: Problem Solving

Cognition and Intelligence: Creative Thinking and Intuition

Cognition and Intelligence: Intelligence

Psychology in Action: Enhancing Creativity

Motivation and Emotion: Overview of Motives and Emotions

Motivation and Emotion: Motivation in Detail

Motivation and Emotion: Emotion in Detail

Psychology in Action: Emotional Intelligence

Human Sexuality: Sexual Development and Orientation

Human Sexuality: Gender Development, Androgyny, and Gender Variance

Human Sexuality: Sexual Behavior, Response, and Attitudes

Psychology in Action: Sexual Problems

Personality: Overview of Personality

Personality: Trait Theories

Personality: Psychoanalytic and Humanistic Theories

Personality: Behavioral and Social Learning Theories

Psychology in Action: Understanding Shyness

Health, Stress, and Coping: Health Psychology

Health, Stress, and Coping: Stress, Frustration, and Conflict

Health, Stress, and Coping: Defenses, Helplessness, and Depression

Health, Stress, and Coping: Stress and Health

Psychology in Action: Stress Management

Psychological Disorders: Normality and Psychopathology

Psychological Disorders: Psychosis, Delusional Disorders, and Schizophrenia

Psychological Disorders: Mood Disorders

Psychological Disorders: Anxiety-Based Disorders and Personality Disorders

Psychology in Action: Suicide

Therapies: Treating Psychological Distress

The modern media,and especially the Internet,function as a giant "echo chamber" awash with rumors,hoaxes,half truths,and urban legends like the one about giant alligators living in New York sewers.Therefore,as a critical thinker,you should