Question 1

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.

Accepted Answer

observation

Question 2

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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. A

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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 6

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

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 _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you see a course advertised that...

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

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 10

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

Accepted Answer

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 11

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 13

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On a talk show,a person claims to...

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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 15

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

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 17

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

Accepted Answer

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 18

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?

Accepted Answer

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 19

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

Accepted Answer

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 20

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

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.

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.

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