FOS Reading Quiz 1-3

Which of the following were key ideas that Schick was trying to convey in Chp 5?

1. Eyewitness testimony is often not reliable and, in addition, we cant accept something as being true just because someone claims strongly that it is. 2. All of us can make mistakes in our reasoning and can misperceive things because of limits to perception. 3. All of us have biases that can adversely affect our ability to draw correct conclusions - especially if we don't try to consciously deal with them. 4. We have to consciously try to avoid making errors in our reasoning if we want to know the truth about something.

The FOS textbook, and the FOS course, both discuss several different disciples of science because

1. The real world is integrated in that physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes all operate together to create the world we understand and so we need to know something about these sciences in order to better understand and appareciate the world. 2. Without this knowledge we are more likely to make mistakes when trying to understand how things occur

Equations are used in science because:

1. They show how things are related to one another 2. They enable scientists to precisely quantify the relationships among variables 3. They serve as a sort of shorthand; i.e., it takes less time to state an equation than to explain it in words

According to Schick, science is:

1. a method of discovering the truth 2. a way of solving problems and answering questions

Which of the following involves passion, talent, and intelligence?

1. art 2. literature 3. music 4. science

A fact is:

A statement that corresponds to reality A true proposition

Schick describes a study in which subjects 'knew' that the researchers wanted either high or low scores when the subjects were evaluating people in photographs. Schick concludes that this is evidence of:

Acute sensory perception

Jenny said Mr. Rogers is a socialist and atheist and supports proposed health plan. Therefore, as God-fearing capitalists, we should reject the health plan because Mr. Rogers is immoral.

Ad hominem

Which of the following topics are discussed in Schick's book?

Alien Visitations NDE's Hauntings and reincarnation Astrology and ESP

Having never seeing the night sky, and have never seen anything like the phenemenon he just witnessesd, he concluded it was a UFO. This conclusion is based on:

Appeal to Ignorance (i.e.; what else could it be?)

What error: Millions of people believe that St. John's Wort treats cancer, therefore, you should use it to treat your cancer.

Appeal to the masses

When the results came back of her handwriting personality test, Ava was informed that the analysis indicated that she should not be hired for this position. Based on this:

Ava should reject the results and continue applying for jobs of the same type in spite of the results of the analysis

What type of error has been made: Alyssa said that Maggie should believe in Carol's psychic abilities. When Maggie asked why she should believe in them, Alyssa said it was because Carol is psychic.

Begging the question

One of the key ideas that Schick discussed in Chapter 1 is that:

Belief - without supporting evidence - does not help us discover the truth about a claim.

Russell argues that there is a human tendency to:

Believe something more strongly the less evidence we have to support it

Schick states that the principles of reasoning and analysis used in this book

Can be verified yourself by using them.

When cases of reincarnation have been investigated, the accounts:

Cannot be verified Prove to be the result of "hidden memories"

According to Betrand Russell, deciding to believe a proposition only when there is evidence to support it would:

Eliminate a lot of suffering in the world.

According to Schick, hypotheses are discovered using a sort of "formula" for finding them - a formula which all scientists use.

FALSE

According to an attorney cited by Shick, so called 'quack medicine' or 'quackery' is relatively harmless.

FALSE

If someone cannot do an experiment in a lab then, by definition, they cannot do science and therefore, these people are not scientists.

FALSE

If something seems real, it must be real.

FALSE

Nostradamus made many predictions involving specific dates and several of them have come true on those dates.

FALSE

People are really good at judging the odds of events.

FALSE

Sources of knowledge are perfect; i.e., they are infallible.

FALSE

The statement that "reasons confer probability on propositions" means that, the better the reasons we have for believing something, the less likely that the proposition is true.

FALSE

A guess that is correct can be considered a form of knowledge because it was correct.

FALSE - no logical basis for claim

An argument is fallacious (incorrect) if it has:

False/unacceptable premises Irrelevant premises Insufficient premises

Factual knowledge means:

Holding a belief/understanding that is TRUE Having good reasons for what we believe

Dr. Nelson speculated that some types of depression may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain related to a chemical called dopamine. This is an example of:

Hypothesis

In order for a hypothesis or theory to be considered scientific, it must be possible to determine if it is:

Incorrect (Wrong)

Which of the following can be sources of knowledge?

Introspection regarding our dispositions (emotions); i.e., thinking about our feelings and experiences Sensory knowledge (based on what we hear, see, taste, smell and touch) Reason/logic

You can consider a claim to be 'beyond reasonable doubt' if:

It offers the best explanation for something

Which of the following is NOT true of science?

It sometimes explains things in terms of supernatural processes

Jamie wanted to find out if the majority of Tx people supported the death penalty. He surveyed 25 students in his criminal justice clas and found 85% strongly supported. Jamie concluded that Texans strongly support the death penalty. Which of the following is true?

Jamie's conclusion is not strongly supported based on their research

Why is it in our best interest to have a clear understanding of knowledge and how it is acquired?

Knowledge is needed to help us attain our goals Knowledge is needed to help us make sense of the world Knowledge is needed to help us make predictions

Science states that much of what we read or hear regarding extraordinary claims is:

Lacking in good 'whys'; i.e., lacking in information as to why we should believe the claim

Schick states that much of what we read or hear regarding extraordinary claims is:

Lacking in good why's; i.e., lacking in information as to why we should believe this claim.

What part of a sheep's body did the Babylonians use to predict the future?

Liver

The Judas Priest court case regarding the alleged backward masking of subliminal messages was:

Lost because there is no evidence that such messages had been placed on the record and, besides, there is no evidence that such messages can have an effect on people.

Schick reports information that suggests that many HS science teachers are:

May not be prepared to teach science as indicated by many of the unsupported or discredited ideas they believe are true.

"Mysticism is just tomorrow's science dreamed today", does Marshall McLuhan follow the view of non-overlapping magesteria?

No

According to research, what provides the most convincing evidence of paranormal phenomena for most people?

Our own personal experience

The tendency to see the face of a human

Pareidolia

Jack swore that the park bench he and his family use for a picnic was brown because he thought all benches in Natl Parks were brown; but when he saw a photograph of the bench taken during the picnic, he was stunned to see it was white. He is a victim of

Perceptual constancy

What type of skeptic embraces the view that "we cannot know what isn't certain"?

Philosophical skeptic

To control for factors that might affect the outcome of a clinical study (other than the medicine that is being tested), scientists often use a:

Placebo

The fact that people frequently misinterpret things they see in the sky as being alien spacecraft

Provides good reason to be skeptical of similar claims

Our perception that our dreams are sometimes prophetic may result from

Selective recall

As discussed, the Ba Mbuti people had never learned about:

Size constancy

If people accept the Big Bang theory, they will eventually give up their religious beliefs and live immoral lives.

Slippery slope

Which of the following is true regarding much of the evidence that has been provided for Big Foot?

Some experts have been fooled by the evidence

Schick argues that mystical experience _____________ be considered a source of knowledge because ________________.

Sometimes people claim that because mystics all have common experiences, this proves they are true experiences. But, this is actually not true. The experiences and interpretations can be quite varied and mutually contradictory. So, how do we know which is correct? Is there a way to make that determination? All we can say for certain is that they cant all be correct.

What type of error has been made: Suz said that the Senator wanted to raise taxes on everyone and so she argued we should not vote for him. She deliberately misrepresented the Senator's position because he actually said that he would raise taxes only on those making $300k+.

Straw man

A researcher must have a hypothesis to guide their data collection and to serve as a basis for interpreting the data.

TRUE

According to one of the people quoted in the book, skeptical thinking is esstential for our survival.

TRUE

Hyper sensory perception (HSP) can be misinterpreted as extrasensory perception (ESP)

TRUE

In order for a hypothesis to be useful, it must be possible to test it.

TRUE

Mystical experiences often entail sensory deprivation on the part of mystics - a condition that can lead to hallucinations.

TRUE

Once people have an explanation that seems to make sense to them they usually stop looking for alternative explanations that might contradict their behalf.

TRUE

Our minds construct an image of reality - they do not "record" an image of reality - and the construction process is not perfect.

TRUE

People have demonstrated the ability to make crop circles - some of which were later claimed by crop circle investigators to have been made by aliens.

TRUE

Research has shown that memories are reconstructed fragments of memories that are pieced together by the mind and, as such, are subject to error.

TRUE

When people are confronted with complex issues, they tend to adopt approach to making a decision - an approach that does not adequately deal with the complexity of the situtation.

TRUE

The apparent success of many types of alleged psychic phenomenon, such as palm reading and fortune telling, can be attributed to:

The Forer effect

The planet Venus is sometimes mistaken for a UFO because witnesses have claimed that it moves in a zig-zag and is too bright. The zig-zag motion, which is impossible, is due to

The autokinetic effect

A mind virus can sometimes be identified by

The belief that mystery is a good thing and that one should not try to solve mysteries Intolerance towards others A strong belief that something is true even when there is no evidence to support it.

We have good reason to doubt a supernatural explanation for an unusual event if

The experience was not witnessed by others (i.e. not corroborated) The claim contradicts laws of nature and previous experience Our brain could have misperceived what occurred given the circumstances in which the event occurred

One group was asked "How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" Second group was asked "How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?" Which of the following statements is true regarding the results of the experiment?

The responses of the two groups depended on the wording of the question, showing that our memories are influenced by seemingly trivial events.

Which of the following is true regarding the story of Virginia Tighe, who claimed to be the reincarnation of an Irish woman named Bridie Murphy?

The street she claimed to live on could never be found The stories she said her husband published could not be found Her neighbor, when she was a child, told her stories of Ireland Her memories were probably an example of cryptomnesia.

The synthesis of a large collection of information that contains well-tested and verificed hypotheses about certain aspects of the world known as a scientific _________

Theory

Eyewitness testimony, especially those regarding unusual events that people have experienced, is often:

Unreliable because people misinterpret events, especially when excited.

According to Russell and Schick, we should:

Usually defer to experts because they know more about the topic than most others do.

Dr. Walters concluded that large doses of Vit C and electrolytes would help prevent the common cold. She based this on personal experience. She created a supplement for preventing the common cold, packed w/ Vit C and electrolytes, and sold them to the general public. Well placed advertisements resulted in huge sales of supplement. What can you logically conclude?

Without independent support for her claim by nutritionists and medical doctors, we have no compelling reason to conclude that she is correct about Vit C.

Using science to analyze nature:

adds depth to our understanding and therefore to our appreciation of nature

According to Schick, science

seeks to understand the laws and principles that govern the universe

Even though we cannot be absolutely certain that we are not living in "the Matrix", we're justified in believing that we're not because,

the Matrix hypothesis doesn't provide the best explanation for our sense of experience.

Dennis refused to go bungee-jumping because he remembered one case in which a boy hit the ground bc of the wrong bungee cord - it was too long. Based on this, he concluded bungee jumping was incredibly dangerous. This is an example of

the availability error/selective recall

Most psychic hotlines are staffed by:

unemployed housewives

Because of the way our brains work,

we Often jump to the conclusion that an unusual phenomena is supernatural simply because we dont know enough to realize it is really a natural phenomenon. This is an example of Appeal to Ignorance. (ex: I cant figure out how it happened so it must be supernatural) People arent very good at judging probabilities and so when a seemingly improbable event occurs, we often assume it must have been paranormal.