Chapter 4: Credibility

Who among the following will be considered an interested party in a hearing on providing added benefits to educational institutions?

A lawyer who also gives guest lectures at universities

Who among the following is likely to have the most expertise in marine biology?

A professor of marine biology

Which of these is NOT usually an important factor in a source's credibility?

Appearance

Identify a true statement about Wikipedia.

Articles dealing with technical or scientific subjects are considered more reliable.

Which of these would probably NOT negatively influence our observations and recollections of an event?

Attention

When a claim comes into conflict with what we've observed, it is only reasonable to _____.

Be suspicious of it.

Select all that apply Which of the following are true about the quality of Wikipedia articles? (Check all that apply.)

Bias and omission can affect the quality of material found on Wikipedia's pages. They are more likely to contain uncorrected errors if they are recent.

Which claim has initial plausibility and DOES NOT rely on bias, misinformation or further evidence?

Certain species of turtles come to land to give birth.

We should be skeptical of a claim itself when a credibility problem is presented by its _____.

Content.

Select all that apply Identify the irrelevant features that are sometimes used to judge a person's credibility. (Check all that apply.)

Ethnicity Age Gender Mannerisms Accent

Identify ads that display a product as being used or endorsed by people others admire or identify with or feel they can trust.

Ethos ads

True or false: A claim accepted by a majority of experts in the relevant field cannot be wrong.

False

True or false: A claim that "fits" with our background information is likely to be assigned a lower degree of initial plausibility than one that does not fit as well.

False

True or false: A person's occupation certainly bears a relationship to his or her moral character.

False

Which of these is the best definition for initial plausibility?

First assessment of credibility

Identify a person's most reliable source of information about the world.

His or her own observations

Which of these is the best indicator of a person's expertise in his or her field?

How highly regarded he or she is in his or her field

Which of the following is an information that the sellers of a product hide from the customers?

How well a competitor's product performs

Select all that apply Identify the problems caused by being in an information bubble or echo chamber resulting from social media newsfeeds. (Check all that apply.)

Individuals get access to information that is narrow in scope. Individuals likely reinforce their own ideological perspectives.

What do claims lack if they are not believable upon hearing?

Initial plausibility

What percent of the comments from professional website evaluators are focused on a website's visual design?

Less than 20%

Which of the following categories of ads emphasizes information about a product?

Logos ads

Which of these is NOT true of most blogs?

Most are peer reviewed

According to the text, our most reliable source of information about the world is...what?

Our own observations.

Advertisements that are primarily intended to arouse emotions in people are known as _____.

Pathos ads

Select all that apply Some people base their judgments on irrelevant considerations when judging others. Which of the following are examples of these irrelevant considerations? (Check all that apply.)

Physical characteristics Assertiveness

Select all that apply Which of the following can be used to check the veracity of a news report and the credibility of a source? (Check all that apply.)

PolitiFact New York Times

Which of the following is least important in considering a source's educational qualifications?

Publications in unrelated fields

Hannah and Rachel are close friends. Hannah tells Rachel that Joy, another mutual friend, has a dirty apartment. How would Hannah's words most likely affect Rachel?

Rachel would think less of the Joy's personal habits.

Which of these is a fact-checking outlet?

Snopes

Which of the following is not part of the visual appeal of a website?

Source information

Which of these lessens the credibility of a source?

Source is speaking out of his or her field

A claim is said to lack inherent credibility to the extent that it conflicts with three things. Which of the following is NOT one of those three things?

The beliefs of our most admired friends.

There are two grounds for suspicion when credibility is the issue. What are they?

The claim itself and its source.

According to the text, broad, general knowledge can be enhanced if people have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

They are over the age of 45.

Identify an attribute of logos ads.

They can sometimes provide information that can clinch one's decision to make a purchase.

True or false: Blogs originated mostly as personal diaries open to the general public on the internet.

True

True or false: Simply being taller, speaking louder, or seeming more assertive can often make a person appear more credible.

True

True or false: The narrative ad is a common pathos ad technique.

True

True or false: Our own perceptions of people, whether we like them or hate them, often cloud our ability to judge their actions logically.

True.

Which of these is the most important factor in considering a web site's credibility?

Who are the sources behind its information

In a scholarly article, which one of these sources usually would not be cited as a source?

Wikipedia

The immense body of justified beliefs that consists of facts people learn from their own direct observations and facts they learn from others is known as their ______ ______.

background information

Experts sometimes disagree, especially when the issue is complicated and many different interests are at stake. In these cases, a critical thinker is obliged to suspend judgment about which expert to endorse, unless one expert _____.

can be established as more authoritative

It is reasonable to be suspicious of any claim that _____.

conflicts with what one is observing or remembers having observed

Accomplishments are an important indicator of someone's expertise only when those accomplishments are _______.

directly related to the question at hand

Most ads usually do not contain information about a product's ____.

drawbacks

A different concern about the habit of obtaining news mostly from social media newsfeeds is that one may find oneself in a(n) _____, a situation in which one gets news only from like-minded people.

echo chamber

Duin Corp., a mineral water manufacturer, hires a renowned and philanthropic Hollywood actor to promote its product. In this scenario, the type of advertisement used by Duin Corp. is known as a(n) _____.

ethos ad

A potential problem with videos of newsworthy events is the _____.

false impression that can be created by repeated viewings of an event or type of event

In general, a source may be regarded as more authoritative if

he or she is regarded as authoritative by experts in the field.

The Science Fair committee of a school brings Elizabeth, the Deputy Chief of Police of their city, to speak about the importance of science in daily life. Many of the members veto the idea because _____.

her accomplishment is irrelevant to the question at hand

A person who stands to gain or lose something depending on whether you accept or reject a claim is said to be a(n) _________ party.

interested

The credibility of a source is diminished if the source _____.

is an interested party

The fewer hands that control the media, the easier it is for the news to be _____.

managed

Concentration of ownership of major news outlets into a mere handful of media conglomerates raises concerns that _____.

most of the news will become homogenized in content

Background information is considered "background" because _____.

one may not be able to specify where one learned it

Caution is appropriate when looking at videos of newsworthy events when presented by _____.

people who have a stake in the subject

A rumor is spread that there are hidden cameras in the restrooms of an office. Since then, many workers claim they hear whirring sounds of a camera inside the restrooms. No cameras are found in a search of the restrooms. The employees heard imaginary sounds because _____.

people's beliefs and fears affect their observations

A person would be said to be a disinterested party regarding a given decision just in case he or she

would not benefit regardless of the decision.