WGU C168 Critical Thinking & Logic Module 5: Examining the Evidence Questions And Answers Already Passed (latest updates 2024/2025)

WGU C168 Critical Thinking & Logic Module 5: Examining the Evidence Questions And Answers Already Passed (latest updates 2024/2025) Analogy - answers Drawing a comparison between two things in order to show a meaningful resemblance between them , implying that if two things are alike in one respect , they will be alike in other respects. Intuition - answers A hunch , " gut feeling , " or premonition Personal observation - answers What we see first hand Appeal to authority - answers Justifying a position by citing an expert or authority who supports it Case example - answers A detailed account of a person or event ; a striking or dramatic anecdote Testimonial - answers An account of someone else's personal experience Survey / questionnaire - answers A research method or instrument for measuring people's attitudes or beliefs Research study - answers A systematic set of observations collected through scientific methods . Personal Experience - answers What we experience; what ourselves do or go through Quantitative evidence - answers Quantifies an observation or phenomenon. It expresses it as a number or empirical measure. Qualitative evidence - answers Is concerned with determining causation; one thing caused another thing Certain general criteria determine the quality of evidence . The best or most dependable evidence is : - answers •Believable •Objective •Sufficient •Relevant •From reputable sources •Free of bias •Independently verifiable •Logically sound •internally consistent Personal Experience - answers Can lead to hasty generalizations based on only one or a couple of experiences ( i.e. too few to be a representative example ) . Case Example - answers Personalizes an issue through colorful examples and dramatic anecdotes but is suspect as evidence . Case Example (Drawbacks) - answers • Limited reliability because it is untypical or represents the exception to the norm . •Can distract attention from other relevant evidence by appealing to emotions Research Study - answers Can provide strong evidence because it yields empirical data that may be independently verified . Relies on scientific methods to reduce errors in observation and measurement . Research Study (Drawbacks) - answers •The quality of studies varies greatly •Researchers ' values , self - interest , and biases can skew the way they conduct research and interpret findings •Research findings often get distorted or oversimplified by people who speak or write about them Personal Observation - answers Is filtered through one's values , biases , and expectations . This can lead two observers to see or perceive the same thing differently . Testimony - answers Varies in quality depending on the expertise behind it and any biases it reflects . Testimony (Drawbacks) - answers • People are selective about what they reveal and don't reveal . •It may come from someone who stands to profit from the testimonial ( a motive of personal gain can result in a biased account ) •It often leaves out information that would modify the message if the information were not omitted Appeal to Authority - answers Can be valuable evidence when the authority has relevant expertise is not biased , and has a reputation of dependability . Appeal to Authority (Drawbacks) - answers •can be mistaken •often has a bias or agenda . •may lack the expertise to make an informed judgment on an issue Survey / Questionnaire - answers Can , when well designed and properly conducted , yield responses that may be regarded as good evidence Survey / Questionnaire (Drawbacks) - answers •responses don't necessarily reflect respondents ' actual beliefs ( i.e. , people may give answers that don't represent their true attitudes ) •Ambiguously worded survey questions are open to differing interpretations by survey participants •often include built - in biases Analogy - answers Hinges its quality on two factors : •The degree to which the two things being compared are similar and different •The relevance of the similarities and differences . Intuition - answers Has dependability beyond objective judgment because it is a subjective , private experience . There is no reliable basis for deciding which of two differing intuitive claims is more plausible . As an unconscious process , intuition often ignores or dismisses relevant empirical