PHIL 341 Midterm Study Guide: Critical
Thinking Concepts UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Definition of a claim - CORRECT ANSWER -A statement that asserts something to be
true or false.
Definition of an issue - CORRECT ANSWER -A matter or topic that is open to debate or
discussion.
Objective vs. Subjective claims - CORRECT ANSWER -Objective claims are based on
observable phenomena, while subjective claims are based on personal feelings or opinions.
Belief bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to accept or reject arguments based on
the believability of their conclusions rather than the strength of their reasoning.
Confirmation bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to search for, interpret, and
remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.
Availability heuristic - CORRECT ANSWER -A mental shortcut that relies on immediate
examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic.
False consensus effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to overestimate the extent to
which others share our beliefs and behaviors.
Bandwagon effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The phenomenon where individuals adopt
certain behaviors or beliefs because others are doing so.
Negativity bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The psychological phenomenon by which
humans give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones.
, Loss aversion - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to prefer avoiding losses to
acquiring equivalent gains.
In-group bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to favor one's own group over others.
Fundamental attribution error - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to attribute others'
actions to their character while attributing our own actions to external factors.
Obedience to authority - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to comply with instructions
from an authority figure.
Overconfidence effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The phenomenon where a person's
subjective confidence in their judgments is greater than their objective accuracy.
Better-than-average effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The cognitive bias whereby
individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities relative to others.
Definition and parts of an argument - CORRECT ANSWER -An argument consists of
premises that support a conclusion.
Deductive arguments (valid vs. sound) - CORRECT ANSWER -A valid argument is one
where if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true; a sound argument is valid and has
true premises.
Inductive arguments (weak vs. strong) - CORRECT ANSWER -A strong inductive
argument is one where if the premises are true, the conclusion is likely true; a weak inductive
argument does not provide strong support for the conclusion.
Unstated premises - CORRECT ANSWER -Assumptions that are not explicitly stated but
are necessary for the argument to hold.
Thinking Concepts UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Definition of a claim - CORRECT ANSWER -A statement that asserts something to be
true or false.
Definition of an issue - CORRECT ANSWER -A matter or topic that is open to debate or
discussion.
Objective vs. Subjective claims - CORRECT ANSWER -Objective claims are based on
observable phenomena, while subjective claims are based on personal feelings or opinions.
Belief bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to accept or reject arguments based on
the believability of their conclusions rather than the strength of their reasoning.
Confirmation bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to search for, interpret, and
remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.
Availability heuristic - CORRECT ANSWER -A mental shortcut that relies on immediate
examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic.
False consensus effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to overestimate the extent to
which others share our beliefs and behaviors.
Bandwagon effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The phenomenon where individuals adopt
certain behaviors or beliefs because others are doing so.
Negativity bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The psychological phenomenon by which
humans give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones.
, Loss aversion - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to prefer avoiding losses to
acquiring equivalent gains.
In-group bias - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to favor one's own group over others.
Fundamental attribution error - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to attribute others'
actions to their character while attributing our own actions to external factors.
Obedience to authority - CORRECT ANSWER -The tendency to comply with instructions
from an authority figure.
Overconfidence effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The phenomenon where a person's
subjective confidence in their judgments is greater than their objective accuracy.
Better-than-average effect - CORRECT ANSWER -The cognitive bias whereby
individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities relative to others.
Definition and parts of an argument - CORRECT ANSWER -An argument consists of
premises that support a conclusion.
Deductive arguments (valid vs. sound) - CORRECT ANSWER -A valid argument is one
where if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true; a sound argument is valid and has
true premises.
Inductive arguments (weak vs. strong) - CORRECT ANSWER -A strong inductive
argument is one where if the premises are true, the conclusion is likely true; a weak inductive
argument does not provide strong support for the conclusion.
Unstated premises - CORRECT ANSWER -Assumptions that are not explicitly stated but
are necessary for the argument to hold.
