Ch. 1 Quiz 1.3 Scientific Thinking: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction

Alice is looking for an effective diet program. She is able to evaluate the claims of competing programs in an open-minded and careful fashion by _______, the hallmark of scientific skepticism. a. using her critical thinking skills b. being open to metaphysical reasoning c. using her common sense and intuition d. remembering that extraordinary claims require ordinary evidence

a. using her critical thinking skills

The "Third variable problem" is associated with which scientific thinking principle? a. ruling out rival hypotheses b. correlation is not causation c. falsifiability d. replicability

b. correlation is not causation

An important principle of scientific thinking states that if two explanations account equally well for a phenomenon, we should generally select the simpler one. This principle is known as _________ a. replicability b. correlation vs. causation c. occam's razor d. falsifiability

c. occam's razorT

Psychological researchers have become more aware of the importance of replicating research results. Part of this awareness is driven by the observation that the size of certain psychological findings appears to be shrinking over time. This phenomenon is known as the _______ a. correlation-causation fallacy b. skepticism effect c. decline effect d. reproductivity fallacy

c. decline effect

Laurie told her friend Sandi, "I had a headache this morning so I used an old family cure: Three sips of ginger ale, and an hour later my head felt better." Sandi replied, "I am glad you are feeling more comfortable now, but mayber the sheer passage of time made your headache go away." Sandi is offering a(n) ___________ in response to Laurie's explanation. a. extraordinary claim b. falsifiable pretext c. rival hypothesis d. causal correlation

c. rival hypothesis