Lab 1 (Chapter 2)

RQ 1.  The text gives two major reasons that experience is a faulty source of evidence for our beliefs. Please select the correct TWO choices.

• Experience has confounds.

• Experiences are from only one person.

• Experience has no comparison group.

• Experience has no hypotheses.

RQ 2. If we use the availability heuristic, we are basing our beliefs on...

• what others think.

• what we see popular people do.

•  what comes to mind easily.

RQ 3. What does it mean to say that research is probabilistic?

• Researchers refer to the probability that their theories are correct.

• Research predicts all possible results

• Research conclusions are meant to explain a certain proportion of possible cases, but not all.

• If there are exceptions to a research result, it means the theory is probably incorrect.

RQ 4. According to the text, what are some questions you can ask when you encounter a news item or “fact” in the popular media?R

•  Could this be an example of disinformation?

• Can I cross-check this story on some other sites I know are legitimate?

• What is the context of this story?

• Is the journalist politically biased?

• Any of these are good questions.

C1. Beware the “Freshman 15”? 

A study reported that college students in their first two years of school gain an average of 3 to 10 pounds, with most of the weight packed on during the first semester of freshman year.

Which question would best help you evaluate the validity of this argument? 

• 1. How many freshmen do not gain weight? 

• 1. How much weight do people gain after freshman year? 

• 1. What kinds of foods are freshmen most likely to eat?

• 1. How much weight do people of the same age gain who don’t go to college? 

C2. Should you stop hugging your dog? 

In 250 photos of people hugging their dogs, 82% of the dogs showed signs of stress (Coren, 2016).

Which question would best help you evaluate the validity of this argument?

• 1. knowing how many dogs that were being hugged did not show stress signs

• 1. knowing how many dogs that were not being hugged showed stress signs

• 1. knowing what percentage of people usually hug their dogs

• 1. knowing what the signs of stress are

C3. “I’m positive my cousin has an eating disorder! I hardly ever see her eat anything other than diet bars.”

This person appears to be basing a belief on

(note: two are correct)

• a good story.

• availability.

• a present/present bias.

• the confirmation bias.

• a bias blind spot.

C4. “There are far more dogs than cats in this city. That’s all you see in the parks—dogs, dogs, dogs!” 

This person appears to be basing a belief on

•  a good story.

• 1.  availability.

• 1.  a present/present bias.

• 1.  the confirmation bias.

• 1.  a bias blind spot.

C5. Which psycINFO search would give you more responses?

• 1. “narcissism” or “self-esteem”

• 1. “narcissism” and “self-esteem”

• 1. “narcissism”

• 1. “self-esteem”

C6. Which search would give you the most responses?

• 1. “autis*” in any field

• 1. “autism” in the abstract field

• 1. “autism” in any field

• 1. “autism” in the author field