1. Critical thinking has been described as the:
A) “opposite of creative thinking”
B) “ancient way of knowing”
C) “mind of the future”
D) “hardest form of logic”
2. The value of disproving in science is most apparent when one realizes the
limitations imposed by:
A) publication bias
B) subject bias
C) experimenter bias
D) confirmation bias
3. Tendencies such as interpreting patterns among randomness and believing
exceptional are representative have been described as:
A) emotional reactions
B) cognitive illusions
C) perceptual defenses
D) attentional distortions
4. When group data are used to make inferences about individuals, one risks which
of the following?
A) confirmation bias
B) experimenter expectancy
C) ecological fallacy
D) central tendency error
5. A logical evidence-based chain of reasoning describes which of the following?
A) control in experimentation
B) generalization across samples
C) scientific research
D) analysis of case studies
, 6. All of the following describe common explanations for inconsistencies in research
findings except:
A) data analysis errors
B) variation in definitions
C) procedural differences
D) diverse measures
7. Procedures for generating useful information from raw data that exist in various
formats are known as:
A) data mining
B) number farming
C) investigative replication
D) narrative searching
8. All of the following are characteristics of critical thinkers except:
A) considering alternative or multiple perspectives
B) justifying well-reasoned conclusions
C) shaping findings to fit preconceptions
D) recognizing inconsistencies
9. Statistical significance in education is often confused with which of the
following?
A) practical importance
B) theoretical proofs
C) control of biases
D) multiple sources of evidence
10. One chronic problem in educational research has been:
A) discovering statistical significance
B) confusing correlation with cause
C) securing sufficient sample sizes
D) lack of reliable test scores
11. Chapter 1 describes a “cognitive illusion” that involves a tendency to interpret
evidence in ways that:
, A) challenge your assumptions
B) conform to your beliefs
C) foster creativity
D) generate unnecessary complexity
12. Which of the following is described as one hallmark of critical thinking?
A) recognizing bias
B) creating hypotheses
C) criticizing alternative perspectives
D) testing theories
13. All of the following are described as “tricks” that may mislead readers of research
except:
A) causal interpretations of correlations
B) interpreting “significant” findings that arose by chance
C) “torturing” and “cleaning” data
D) ignoring “lost” subjects
E) using only 2 or 3 peer reviewers of research
14. One major theme in Chapter 1 is that research in education is:
A) easily misinterpreted
B) usually controversial
C) too theoretical
D) underfunded
15. Critical thinking is described as all of the following except:
A) astute
B) careful
C) analytical
D) watchful
16. Thinking critically about the art and science of learning using reasoned
conclusions in the spirit of inquiry describes the essence of:
, A) professional development
B) logical discipline
C) reflective practice
D) goal-oriented teaching
17. The use of select research findings to reach favored conclusions while ignoring
other findings is known as:
A) data harvesting
B) number slicing
C) cherry picking
D) empirical cooking
18. All of the following are examples of getting “snookered” by education research
except:
A) interpreting rising scores as rising achievement without more information
B) confusing rates, numbers, and scores
C) accepting claims without data
D) failure to investigate researchers' credentials
19. When research findings in education are communicated to others, the
phenomenon of social construction may create which of the following?
A) distortion
B) generalization
C) consensus
D) replication
20. Research on charter schools has been plagued by which of the following:
A) breaches in ethical guidelines
B) use of non-standardized testing
C) non-comparable comparison groups
D) small sample sizes
21. Analysis and evaluation are skills often linked to which of the following?
A) administrator leadership
A) “opposite of creative thinking”
B) “ancient way of knowing”
C) “mind of the future”
D) “hardest form of logic”
2. The value of disproving in science is most apparent when one realizes the
limitations imposed by:
A) publication bias
B) subject bias
C) experimenter bias
D) confirmation bias
3. Tendencies such as interpreting patterns among randomness and believing
exceptional are representative have been described as:
A) emotional reactions
B) cognitive illusions
C) perceptual defenses
D) attentional distortions
4. When group data are used to make inferences about individuals, one risks which
of the following?
A) confirmation bias
B) experimenter expectancy
C) ecological fallacy
D) central tendency error
5. A logical evidence-based chain of reasoning describes which of the following?
A) control in experimentation
B) generalization across samples
C) scientific research
D) analysis of case studies
, 6. All of the following describe common explanations for inconsistencies in research
findings except:
A) data analysis errors
B) variation in definitions
C) procedural differences
D) diverse measures
7. Procedures for generating useful information from raw data that exist in various
formats are known as:
A) data mining
B) number farming
C) investigative replication
D) narrative searching
8. All of the following are characteristics of critical thinkers except:
A) considering alternative or multiple perspectives
B) justifying well-reasoned conclusions
C) shaping findings to fit preconceptions
D) recognizing inconsistencies
9. Statistical significance in education is often confused with which of the
following?
A) practical importance
B) theoretical proofs
C) control of biases
D) multiple sources of evidence
10. One chronic problem in educational research has been:
A) discovering statistical significance
B) confusing correlation with cause
C) securing sufficient sample sizes
D) lack of reliable test scores
11. Chapter 1 describes a “cognitive illusion” that involves a tendency to interpret
evidence in ways that:
, A) challenge your assumptions
B) conform to your beliefs
C) foster creativity
D) generate unnecessary complexity
12. Which of the following is described as one hallmark of critical thinking?
A) recognizing bias
B) creating hypotheses
C) criticizing alternative perspectives
D) testing theories
13. All of the following are described as “tricks” that may mislead readers of research
except:
A) causal interpretations of correlations
B) interpreting “significant” findings that arose by chance
C) “torturing” and “cleaning” data
D) ignoring “lost” subjects
E) using only 2 or 3 peer reviewers of research
14. One major theme in Chapter 1 is that research in education is:
A) easily misinterpreted
B) usually controversial
C) too theoretical
D) underfunded
15. Critical thinking is described as all of the following except:
A) astute
B) careful
C) analytical
D) watchful
16. Thinking critically about the art and science of learning using reasoned
conclusions in the spirit of inquiry describes the essence of:
, A) professional development
B) logical discipline
C) reflective practice
D) goal-oriented teaching
17. The use of select research findings to reach favored conclusions while ignoring
other findings is known as:
A) data harvesting
B) number slicing
C) cherry picking
D) empirical cooking
18. All of the following are examples of getting “snookered” by education research
except:
A) interpreting rising scores as rising achievement without more information
B) confusing rates, numbers, and scores
C) accepting claims without data
D) failure to investigate researchers' credentials
19. When research findings in education are communicated to others, the
phenomenon of social construction may create which of the following?
A) distortion
B) generalization
C) consensus
D) replication
20. Research on charter schools has been plagued by which of the following:
A) breaches in ethical guidelines
B) use of non-standardized testing
C) non-comparable comparison groups
D) small sample sizes
21. Analysis and evaluation are skills often linked to which of the following?
A) administrator leadership
