Deck 4: Looking for Truth in Personal Experience

Question 1

Much research suggests that perception is

A) An illusion.
B) Always untrustworthy.
C) Destructive.
D) Constructive.

Answer 1

Constructive.

Question 2

Research on expectancy and perception shows that

A) We never perceive what we expect to perceive.
B) We often perceive exactly what we expect to perceive.
C) Expectancy plays no role in our experience.
D) We can never trust our perceptions.

Answer 2

We often perceive exactly what we expect to perceive.

Question 3

The "face on Mars" is best explained as

A) A case of pareidolia.
B) An example of extraterrestrial archeology.
C) An instance of trick photography.
D) A reflection of objects in outer space.

Answer 3

A case of pareidolia.

Question 4

A significant problem with the claim that Bigfoot exists is that

A) There are no pictures of Bigfoot.
B) The claim is widely reported in the media.
C) Bigfoot is not logically possible.
D) The claim conflicts with expert opinion.

Question 5

The Blondlot case of is a classic example of

A) Research fraud.
B) A coordinated attempt to deceive the public.
C) Perceptual construction.
D) Accurate observations.

Question 6

Which one of the following isNOT an Anthropomorphic Bias?

A) Perception of another's thoughts
B) Projecting human features onto objects
C) Assuming that things are like us
D) Attributing human feeling to objects

Question 7

The availability error

A) can help to explain the persistence of superstition.
B) often leads us to commit the fallacy of hasty generalization.
C) is exhibited when we choose to follow a friend's recommendation rather than statistically accurate surveys.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Question 8

Seeing faces in the clouds is an example of

A) pareidolia.
B) subjective validation.
C) confirmation bias.
D) availability error.
E) the representativeness heuristic.

Question 9

The assumption that like causes like is known as

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) availability error.
C) confirmation bias.
D) subjective validation.

Question 10

Perception is

A) always accurate.
B) always inaccurate.
C) constructive.
D) destructive.

Question 11

_________ occurs when we look for and recognize only evidence that confirms our theories.

A) Representativeness heuristic
B) Availability error
C) Subjective validation
D) Confirmation bias

Question 12

"The first thing that comes to mind is the one I think is most important" is an example of

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) availability error.
C) subjective validation.
D) confirmation bias.

Question 13

"I only listen to information that supports my existing belief" is an example of

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) availability error.
C) subjective validation.
D) confirmation bias.

Question 14

"Ulcers feel like nervous stomachs, so they must be caused by the same thing" is an example of

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) availability error.
C) subjective validation.
D) confirmation bias.

Question 15

How might the constructive nature of your perceptions play a role in what you experience while you're walking at night through a graveyard said to be visited by spirits of the dead?

Question 16

What are some of the factors that could influence the accuracy of your memory of an event that happened three years ago?

Question 17

Let's say that an incredible coincidence occurs in your life, and your friend argues that the odds against the occurrence are so astronomical that the only explanation must be a paranormal one. What is wrong with this argument?

Question 18

How is it possible for the prophecies of Nostradamus to appear to be highly accurate and yet not be?

Question 19

What is the principle that explains how much trust we should put in personal experience as reliable evidence?

Question 20

What is the availability error? How does it affect our thinking?

Question 21

How do confirmation bias and the availability error lead to superstitious beliefs?

Question 22

When evaluating a claim, we should look only for confirming evidence.

Question 23

You can't always believe what you see.

Question 24

The primary reason that people believe in the paranormal is that they had experiences they can't explain.

Question 25

If you can't find a natural explanation for a phenomena, it must be supernatural.

Question 26

Just because something seems real doesn't mean that it is.

Question 27

If a fair flipped coin has turned up heads 10 times in a row, the chances that will turn up heads again is less than 50%.

Question 28

There are more crimes committed during a full moon than at other times.

Question 29

Astrological forecasts seem accurate because of the process known as subjective validation.

Question 30

People often perceive what they expect to perceive.

Question 31

Confirmation bias makes us only look for confirming evidence.

Question 32

The way to overcome confirmation bias is to look for disconfirming evidence.

Question 33

To make a judgment on the basis of memorable evidence instead of reliable evidence is to commit the availability error.

Question 34

Perception is an infallible source of knowledge.