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

Question 1

A psychologist visiting a classroom concludes that one of the children is depressed because the child is quiet and unresponsive.Actually,the child has the flu.The psychologist has made what error?

A)failure to distinguish correlation from causation
B)failure to distinguish inference from observation
C)failure to use experimental controls
D)failure to obtain a representative sample

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

A)immediately order this device because the correlation is evidence of the device causing the law student to pass the bar.
B)immediately order this device because a correct inference can be made from this observation.
C)order the device because systematic research has shown that these devices really work.
D)not order the device because an individual case tells nothing about what is true in general.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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

A)due to a single example.
B)due to a causal correlation.
C)because they failed to distinguish observation from inference.
D)due to the performance of the control group.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

If a television ad tells you that a "life coach" can map out your entire career and financial future if you log­on and pay for three half-hour Web-based sessions,

A)beware of oversimplification.
B)note the difference between observation and inference.
C)remember that correlation does not mean causation.
D)realize the authenticity of the life coach has been thoroughly checked by the TV media before broadcast.

Question 5

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?

A)Yes,because the scientific data was collected.
B)Yes,because a positive correlation would found between talking and plant growth.
C)No,because the placebo effect was not considered.
D)No,because there was no control group.

Question 6

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

A)the dangers of a single example.
B)the difference between observation and inference.
C)the difference between correlation and causation.
D)that the Barnum effect occurs only in ten-year cycles.

Question 7

When reading the claims of makers of home biofeedback machines,sleep-learning devices,subliminal CDs,and the like,it is important to

A)realize that the authenticity of the report has been thoroughly checked by the media.
B)be wary of overly complex explanations.
C)consider the number of experts that are promoting the product.
D)consider whether the information is motivated by monetary gain.

Question 8

A theater reported that their highest beverage sales this year occurred during showings of The Great African Desert.However,we cannot conclude that the film affected beverage consumption because

A)the placebo effect was not considered.
B)only a correlation can establish causation.
C)no correlation was computed.
D)there was no control group.

Question 9

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)be skeptical.
B)be wary of overly complex explanations.
C)remember that truth is often stranger than fiction.
D)consider that numerous postings of information on the Internet are required to establish proof.

Question 10

You caution a friend about eating so many foods that are high in fat content.Your friend replies that his grandfather ate all the bacon and cheese he wanted,and he lived to be 93.Which of the following is the BEST explanation for your friend's error in reasoning?

A)the Barnum effect
B)the use of individual cases
C)the self-fulfilling prophecy
D)the fallacy of negative instances

Question 11

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

A)No one has passed the preliminary tests set up by James Randi's Million Dollar Challenge to demonstrate psychic abilities under controlled conditions.
B)Usually psychic advisor ads are promoted with a few testimonials and many unsupported claims.
C)Unlike psychic advisors,stage mentalists do not use deception with their audiences or in their advertising.
D)Psychic advisers promoted in TV commercials make use of the Barnum effect.

Question 12

If students who complete a study skills course raised their grade point averages,can we conclude that the course caused their improvement?

A)Yes,because the scientific data was collected.
B)Yes,because a negative correlation exists between these students' grade point averages before and after taking the course.
C)Yes,because the course resulted in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
D)No,because there was no control group.

Question 13

Psychic advisers promoted in TV commercials tend to make use of the human tendency to consider personal descriptions accurate if they are stated in general terms,which is called the

A)anthropomorphic error.
B)halo effect.
C)courtesy bias.
D)Barnum effect.

Question 14

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

A)it is an oversimplification.
B)it is based on single cases and testimonials.
C)the experience is not repeatable.
D)correlation does not mean causation.

Question 15

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

A)the dangers of a single example.
B)the difference between observation and inference.
C)the difference between correlation and causation.
D)that the Barnum effect occurs only in ten-year cycles.

Question 16

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

A)realize that the authenticity of the report has been thoroughly checked by the media.
B)be wary of overly complex explanations.
C)remember that truth is often stranger than fiction.
D)consider the source of the information.

Question 17

A psychologist finds that most of the juvenile delinquents at the facility where he counsels have parents who are smokers.If he concludes that parental smoking is the reason for these teens' behavior and poor choices,then he has

A)made a sound conclusion based on scientific observation.
B)confused correlation and causation.
C)based his conclusion on unreliable sources of information.
D)confused observation and inference.

Question 18

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

A)be skeptical.
B)be wary of overly complex explanations.
C)remember that truth is often stranger than fiction.
D)remember that numerous postings of information on the Internet are required to establish proof.

Question 19

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

A)Psychology is a popular topic in contemporary media.
B)Most of the time the stories in the media regarding psychology are based more on critical thinking or science than on just entertainment value.
C)Modern media,especially the Internet,function as a giant "echo chamber" awash with rumors,hoaxes,half­ truths,and urban legends.
D)Reports in the popular media tend to be made with a definite bias toward reporting "astonishing" findings and telling interesting stories.

Question 20

Regarding the use of examples,anecdotes,single cases,and testimonials in advertising,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)They should be viewed as valid indicators of the authenticity of the product or service.
B)They all create a courtesy bias within the customer.
C)They are all potentially deceptive because individual cases tell us nothing about what is true in general.
D)They are all invalid due to the Barnum effect.

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

At least ten testimonials or case examples are required in order to validate the claim of a product or treatment.

Question 24

A researcher found a relationship between the crime rate in a large city and the phases of the moon and incorrectly concluded that the gravitational pull of the moon caused this crime behavior.This researcher's error is due to his failure to distinguish between and causation.

Question 25

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.

Question 26

Because reports in the popular media tend to be made uncritically and with a definite bias toward reporting
"astonishing" findings and telling interesting stories,a critical reader must be .

Question 27

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.

Question 28

After seeing a friend of yours being uncharacteristically quiet,you decide that your friend must be depressed.You later find out that your friend is not depressed but sleepy from staying up all night working on a term paper.You made this error because you failed to distinguish between observation and inference.

Question 29

On a daytime talk show,a television actress relates how she cured all three of her children's hyperactivity by using a special diet and exercise regime.She explains that interested parents can buy her book detailing this "cure" online starting today.As a critical thinker,evaluate this actress' claim of curing her children's hyperactivity.

Question 30

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 .

Question 31

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?

Question 32

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

A)individual cases and generalizations.
B)correlation and causation.
C)control groups and experimental groups.
D)observation and inference.

Question 33

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

Question 34

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

A)failed to distinguish between observation and inference.
B)failed to distinguish between correlation and causation.
C)failed to consider the source of the information.
D)utilized inductive thinking rather than deductive thinking.