WGU D265 - - WGU - YEAR 2025/2026 - Critical Thinking -
Already Graded A+
Reason and Evidence
Principle of Charity - we should choose the reconstructed argument that gives the benefit of the
doubt to the person presenting the argument
confirmation bias - a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to
ignore or distort contradictory evidence
Alief - An automatic or habitual belief-like attitude which may or may not be in tension with the
subject's explicit beliefs
Heuristic - a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems
efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms
anchoring bias - a tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately
adjust for subsequent information
availability bias - items that are more readily available in memory are judged as having occurred
more frequently
ad hominem - a fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute
Genetic Fallacy - Condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began
it.
straw man fallacy - instead of dealing with the actual issue, it attacks a weaker version of argument
red herring fallacy - when a speaker introduces an irrelevant issue or piece of evidence to divert
attention from the subject of the speech
appeal to authority fallacy - error of accepting a claim merely because an authority figure endorses it
Appeal to Force - Arguer threatens reader/listener
Already Graded A+
Reason and Evidence
Principle of Charity - we should choose the reconstructed argument that gives the benefit of the
doubt to the person presenting the argument
confirmation bias - a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to
ignore or distort contradictory evidence
Alief - An automatic or habitual belief-like attitude which may or may not be in tension with the
subject's explicit beliefs
Heuristic - a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve problems
efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone than algorithms
anchoring bias - a tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately
adjust for subsequent information
availability bias - items that are more readily available in memory are judged as having occurred
more frequently
ad hominem - a fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute
Genetic Fallacy - Condemning an argument because of where it began, how it began, or who began
it.
straw man fallacy - instead of dealing with the actual issue, it attacks a weaker version of argument
red herring fallacy - when a speaker introduces an irrelevant issue or piece of evidence to divert
attention from the subject of the speech
appeal to authority fallacy - error of accepting a claim merely because an authority figure endorses it
Appeal to Force - Arguer threatens reader/listener
