PHIL 170 - CHAPTER 4 UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. Which of the following is a best practice investigators should follow when evaluating evidence?
Answer:
They should avoid the use of leading questions when recording eyewitness testimony.
Question:
2. What is the key component of rationalist belief?
Answer:
That knowledge is always an unchanging truth
Question:
3. What aspect of human feeling is protected by our self-serving bias that places victory in our hands and
defeat in the hands of others?
Answer:
Confidence
Question:
4. What is the importance of evidence in proving an argument?
Answer:
Provides grounds to prove a particular conclusion
Question:
5. Identify the self-serving bias that plays out in superstitious behavior.
Answer:
The misperception that a person is in control of random events
Question:
6. ancedotal evidence
Answer:
1st or 2nd hand reports of personal experience (disadvantages: 1.) unique to 1 person only 2.) see things,
deal with things differently 3.) does not account for outside factors
Question:
7. Hearsay
Answer:
information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate; rumor.
Question:
8. Travis is Vivian's manager at IceTech Inc. Travis gives Vivian very little work because he considers
Vivian to be unproductive. Over time, Vivian's productivity drops because he feels Travis does not value
his efforts. What type of perceptual error is exemplified in the given scenario?
, Answer:
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Question:
9. What is it called when our exaggerated or distorted expectations reinforce actions that actually bring
about the expected event?
Answer:
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Question:
10. True or false: A crucial aspect of being a critical thinker is to be able to always reject evidence that
contradicts personal views.
Answer:
False
Question:
11. Which of these answers demonstrates how optical illusions may damage validity of first-hand
evidence?
Answer:
The insistence on patterns in chance occurrences
Question:
12. Which of these situations is an example of diffusion of responsibility?
Answer:
A group of people ignores cries of help during a fire
Question:
13. Although most of Raven's friends contact her often, only a few call her on her birthday every year. This
makes Raven think that only the people who call her on her birthday every year are the ones who keep in
touch. What type of cognitive error is shown by Raven?
Answer:
Memorable-events error
Question:
14. The erroneous belief that previous events affect the probability in a random event is known as a _____.
Answer:
gambler's error
Question:
15. Which of the following is most likely to be an example of the self-serving bias involving
overestimation?
Answer:
I am a better driver than almost anybody on the road.
Question:
16. Which of the following can be used as credible evidence for a claim, if not contradicted by other
evidence?
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. Which of the following is a best practice investigators should follow when evaluating evidence?
Answer:
They should avoid the use of leading questions when recording eyewitness testimony.
Question:
2. What is the key component of rationalist belief?
Answer:
That knowledge is always an unchanging truth
Question:
3. What aspect of human feeling is protected by our self-serving bias that places victory in our hands and
defeat in the hands of others?
Answer:
Confidence
Question:
4. What is the importance of evidence in proving an argument?
Answer:
Provides grounds to prove a particular conclusion
Question:
5. Identify the self-serving bias that plays out in superstitious behavior.
Answer:
The misperception that a person is in control of random events
Question:
6. ancedotal evidence
Answer:
1st or 2nd hand reports of personal experience (disadvantages: 1.) unique to 1 person only 2.) see things,
deal with things differently 3.) does not account for outside factors
Question:
7. Hearsay
Answer:
information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate; rumor.
Question:
8. Travis is Vivian's manager at IceTech Inc. Travis gives Vivian very little work because he considers
Vivian to be unproductive. Over time, Vivian's productivity drops because he feels Travis does not value
his efforts. What type of perceptual error is exemplified in the given scenario?
, Answer:
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Question:
9. What is it called when our exaggerated or distorted expectations reinforce actions that actually bring
about the expected event?
Answer:
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Question:
10. True or false: A crucial aspect of being a critical thinker is to be able to always reject evidence that
contradicts personal views.
Answer:
False
Question:
11. Which of these answers demonstrates how optical illusions may damage validity of first-hand
evidence?
Answer:
The insistence on patterns in chance occurrences
Question:
12. Which of these situations is an example of diffusion of responsibility?
Answer:
A group of people ignores cries of help during a fire
Question:
13. Although most of Raven's friends contact her often, only a few call her on her birthday every year. This
makes Raven think that only the people who call her on her birthday every year are the ones who keep in
touch. What type of cognitive error is shown by Raven?
Answer:
Memorable-events error
Question:
14. The erroneous belief that previous events affect the probability in a random event is known as a _____.
Answer:
gambler's error
Question:
15. Which of the following is most likely to be an example of the self-serving bias involving
overestimation?
Answer:
I am a better driver than almost anybody on the road.
Question:
16. Which of the following can be used as credible evidence for a claim, if not contradicted by other
evidence?
