Question 1

The leader of the country says that she is honest. She also says, "You should believe what I say because I am the head of the nation's government." Which thinking error is the leader making?

Accepted Answer

The leader is making a circular reasoning fallacy by using her position as evidence to support her claim of honesty. Her position as the head of the government is the very thing being questioned, so using it as evidence to support her own claim is circular.

Question 2

Making an unwarranted assumption is more likely to occur when a person:

Accepted Answer

Unwarranted assumptions often stem from preconceived beliefs or biases about individuals or groups, which can lead a person to make assumptions without sufficient evidence. Choices B, C, and D are not directly related to the occurrence of unwarranted assumptions.

Question 3

An unwarranted assumption is:

Accepted Answer

An unwarranted assumption is a premise lacking support that is taken for granted and might lead to a different conclusion. Option A includes all assumptions, including warranted ones. Option B refers to a stereotype rather than an assumption. Option C is a conclusion, not an assumption. So, option D is the correct answer.

Question 4

The stereotypes that people apply to other individuals often:

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes are often based on unwarranted assumptions made about individuals and their groups. They can lead to prejudice and discrimination, and should be avoided.

Question 5

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory and his idea of repressed memory, if a person has a traumatic experience as a child, then that person will be unable to recall the experience later. Which of the following is the BEST conclusion you can draw about these ideas?

Accepted Answer

Freud's idea of repressed memory and his psychoanalytic theory have not been supported by empirical evidence. The idea that traumatic childhood experiences are often repressed and later recovered through therapy is a widely held but controversial belief in psychology. Some research has suggested that memories of traumatic events are often accurate, and that the process of recovering supposedly repressed memories may actually create false memories. Therefore, it is more likely that repressed memory is not a widespread phenomenon.

Question 6

While discussing a trip she made to the Pacific Northwest, Dilara told her friend that she met people there who think the Bigfoot creature is real, and that scientists have not proved Bigfoot does not exist. Dilara believes Bigfoot exists. Dilara is making the thinking or argumentation error of:

Accepted Answer

Dilara is making the argument from possibility by suggesting that just because scientists have not disproved Bigfoot's existence, it must be possible that Bigfoot exists. This is also linked to her shifting the burden of proof, as she is putting the onus on scientists to prove that Bigfoot does not exist rather than providing evidence for its existence.

Question 7

When Ben and his friend Minh first started going to the ice cream shop at the mall, they made friends with a waitress named Alissa who worked there. They went there often, and one day Ben said to Minh, "I'm hungry. Let's get ice cream at the mall." Minh agreed, but when they arrived, they saw that Alissa was not working. Ben was surprised when Minh didn't order any ice cream and wanted to leave soon after they arrived. An assumption Ben seemed to have made was that Minh:

Accepted Answer

Ben assumed Minh wanted ice cream for its own sake, not just to see Alissa, which is suggested by Minh's lack of interest in ordering once they realized Alissa wasn't there.

Question 8

Reviews of high-quality scientific research studies have not found that repressed memory exists. Chung said, "Because the research has not proved that repressed memory does not exist, it is likely that it will eventually be shown to exist. Therefore, we should conclude for now that it does exist." What is the main problem with Chung's thinking?

Accepted Answer

Chung is making an argument from ignorance by assuming that because there is no evidence proving repressed memory does not exist, it must exist. He is also shifting the burden of proof by expecting others to disprove something he believes without sufficient evidence.

Question 9

Rashid said, "I don't think Jimmie is going to make it through college. He does two sports a year and never misses practice or a game." Rashid did not include a major premise in his argument, and that premise could be an unwarranted assumption that also could change the conclusion. Which of these is the missing major premise?

Accepted Answer

There is no evidence or reasoning provided that supports the assumption that students who participate in sports are less likely to succeed in college. This assumption needs to be stated explicitly as the major premise to support the conclusion that Jimmie is unlikely to make it through college.

Question 10

A popular idea in U.S. education has been that academic achievement depends on students having good self-esteem. In the 1980s, educators raised the self-esteem of students, but researchers observed no improvement in academic performance following increases in student self-esteem. This result shows that:

Accepted Answer

The lack of improvement in academic performance despite increased self-esteem indicates that the belief that self-esteem alone leads to better academic achievement was incorrect. This means that the idea that academic achievement depends on students having good self-esteem was an unwarranted assumption and a psychological misconception.

Question 11

Cierra and Emily went to a local tennis court, only to find two other women who also wanted to use the court. The women decided to play doubles together, and Cierra picked the woman with the most expensive-looking tennis racket as her partner. The woman with the expensive racket ended up missing many more shots than her friend. The unwarranted assumption that Cierra made was:

Accepted Answer

Cierra assumed that the woman with the expensive racket was a better player solely based on the appearance of her equipment. This is an example of the halo effect, which is the tendency to believe that one positive characteristic implies the presence of other positive characteristics. It is not necessarily true that people with expensive-looking rackets are better tennis players.

Question 12

A politician argued that he was the "economy candidate" in the campaign because he understood how the economy works. He said, "Because of my economic savvy, I am the candidate who understands the economy." The politician shows the error of _____ in his form of reasoning or argumentation.

Accepted Answer

The politician is using circular reasoning, as he is essentially saying that he understands the economy because of his economic savvy, but his economic savvy is based on his supposed understanding of the economy. This creates a circular argument with no real evidence or outside reasoning to support his claim.

Question 13

A clinical psychologist told the wife of a young man, "I am sorry to inform you that your husband is psychotic. Psychotic people have thoughts that are disordered and out of touch with reality. Because your husband's thoughts are very disordered and he seems out of touch with conventional reality, I have concluded that he is psychotic." Which thinking or argumentation errors is this psychologist MOST likely showing?

Accepted Answer

The psychologist is showing circular reasoning by defining psychosis as having disordered thoughts and being out of touch with reality, and then concluding the husband is psychotic because he has these characteristics. This is a circular argument because the conclusion is essentially the same as the premise.

Question 14

Sierra went to her new doctor complaining of a variety of physical pains and symptoms. After a thorough exam and testing over multiple days, her doctor verified that nothing was wrong with Sierra physically. He noted from her chart that in high school she had reported recurring pains but that medications did little to help. He suspected Sierra was a hypochondriac-a person who repeatedly complains of physical symptoms that actually have a psychological origin-and so referred her to a clinical psychologist. The psychologist used the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), a widely used method for diagnosing mental disorders to diagnose Sierra with hypochondriasis. Which assumption would have changed the psychologist's mind?

Accepted Answer

The psychologist used the DSM-5 to diagnose Sierra with hypochondriasis, which is a disorder characterized by the persistent belief that one has a serious medical condition despite evidence to the contrary. However, if Sierra actually had a difficult-to-diagnose physical ailment, then her symptoms would not be purely psychological, and the diagnosis of hypochondriasis would not be accurate. Therefore, if the assumption were changed to indicate that Sierra had a physical condition causing her symptoms, it would cause the psychologist to reconsider the diagnosis of hypochondriasis.

Question 15

Gino's therapist diagnosed him with a social anxiety disorder in which he showed symptoms of anxiety and discomfort whenever he had to talk to other people or even be around them. After several weeks of therapy, Gino reported that he felt more confident in social and work situations and was generally feeling better about himself. Within a year, however, Gino returned to the therapist reporting high levels of anxiety. Although the therapist's original diagnosis was correct, which assumption did she make that led her to incorrectly conclude that Gino would be free from future anxiety?

Accepted Answer

The assumption that led the therapist to incorrectly conclude that Gino would be free from future anxiety was that he had only one problem that would be treated by the therapy. This assumption overlooks the fact that social anxiety disorder is a chronic condition that requires ongoing management and treatment. The therapist may have assumed that once Gino had completed a course of therapy and felt better, he would not experience further episodes of anxiety. However, this assumption was incorrect, and Gino's return to the therapist with high levels of anxiety illustrates the need for ongoing support and treatment for social anxiety disorder.

Question 16

A politician said that the price of gas was too high and was going to get higher in the near future, and that she could solve the "gas crisis." The thinking or argumentation error of _____ is involved in this example.

Accepted Answer

The politician claims she can solve the "gas crisis" but does not provide any evidence or reasoning to support how she will achieve this, thus failing to make a substantive argument.

Question 17

A city official boasted that the city's police force used criminal profiling to solve crimes and, therefore, should have a higher rate of crimes solved than a city that did not use criminal profiling: "Our city has worked hard to solve crimes, using the method of criminal profiling in solving cases. Our city should have a higher rate of solving violent crimes than cities that do not use this scientific technique." A study of the number of violent crimes solved showed the city did not have a higher rate of crimes solved than other cities not using the technique. An unwarranted assumption that the city official made was that:

Accepted Answer

The city official assumed that criminal profiling was an effective technique for solving crimes, without evidence to back up this claim. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that the use of criminal profiling would result in a higher rate of crimes solved compared to cities that do not use this technique.

Question 18

Explain what can go wrong if you make an unwarranted assumption in an argument. Illustrate your answer with an example of an unwarranted assumption in an everyday situation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain what can go wrong if you...

Question 19

A car salesman said to a customer, "This is the best car our company has ever made. We stand behind this car 100%." The customer then asked, "How do you know that it is so good?" The salesman replied, "I've seen a lot of cars over the years, and this one is the best." The salesman shows the error of _____ in his form of reasoning or argumentation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A car salesman said to a customer,...

Question 20

Teresa decided to change her major to psychology. She said, "I know I will do well as a psychology major. I already know a lot about why people act the way they do because I watch TV talk shows that discuss people's problems." What is the missing premise from Teresa's conclusion?

Accepted Answer

Teresa's conclusion that she will do well in psychology is based on her belief that watching TV talk shows about people's problems has given her knowledge about psychology. This implies that watching such shows can teach scientific psychology, which is the missing premise needed to logically connect her watching habits to her expected success in the major.

Quiz 2: Deductive Reasoning, Prediction, and Making Assumptions