Question 1

A classic warning sign of pseudoscience is

Accepted Answer

all of the above.

Question 2

A group of animal behaviorists has discovered several new species of insects in the Amazon jungle.They collect the new species for later study back at the camp.Due to advances in computer technology,they are able to transfer their findings immediately to other researchers studying insects.Their willingness to share these findings with other scientists shows their commitment to

Accepted Answer

peer review.

Question 3

Recently,ads have appeared on the radio for some natural herbs that will calm you,increase your sense of well-being,and make you happier in a month's time.You are sure this is a pseudoscientific claim because it is

Accepted Answer

exaggerated.

Question 4

Mr.Gleim suffers from generalized anxiety disorder.One day when he was watching a news program on television,a psychologist was interviewed and claimed he has discovered a cure for panic attacks.Mr.Gleim should be cautious of this new treatment if it

Accepted Answer

claims to have cured most of the patients.

Question 5

A key issue in science is providing methods to help people distinguish between accurate,helpful claims and those that are inaccurate and unhelpful.Which of the following warning signs most directly prohibits arriving at that distinction?

Accepted Answer

Evading peer review

Question 6

Imagine that you see the textbook authors on television talking with Larry King about popular psychology.Which of the following points are you most likely to hear them make?

Accepted Answer

Beware of claims of miracle cures without supporting evidence.

Question 7

Websites advertising "love potions" in the form of fragrances are appearing on the internet.There has never been any scientific evidence that can prove love potions really help people attract mates.Regarding these potions,scientists would encourage the general public to

Accepted Answer

insist on more evidence before buying the product.

Question 8

Bob is looking for information about mental illness on the Internet.He is not sure where to look and is randomly searching for various terms related to mental illness.Using this method,Bob is most likely to learn about

Accepted Answer

unproven and misinterpreted information,which may lead to misdiagnosis of mental illness.

Question 9

One evening,when he couldn't sleep,Mr.Bradley turned on the television and saw an infomercial for a new sleep aid.As a critical thinker,Mr.Bradley should be most cautious about this new product if

Accepted Answer

its makers claim it has been "proven" to induce sleep in one-third the time of competing sleep aids.

Question 10

Curtis is considering buying a new workout machine that promises weight loss at twice the rate of other machines.When Curtis questioned such a claim with the manufacturer,the customer service representative stated this was a new system and previous research on weight loss was not applicable.This example illustrates which warning sign of pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

Absence of connectivity

Question 11

According to the authors,________ of the claims made by self-help proponents have been scientifically examined.

Accepted Answer

few

Question 12

Researchers studying the mating behaviors in a rare species of bird found in South Africa are anxious to report their findings,but know the process may take months before their results are published in a peer-reviewed journal.Instead of waiting,they decide to publish their results in a popular nature magazine.This example illustrates which warning sign of pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

Evasion of peer review

Question 13

A key characteristic of a pseudoscience is that incorrect theories are

Accepted Answer

rarely corrected when contrary evidence is published.

Question 14

__________ refers to a claim or statement that superficially appears to be scientific but is not.

Accepted Answer

Pseudoscience

Question 15

Dr.McDonald uses only the testimonies of parents and teachers as support for his treatment of ADHD; this illustrates which warning sign of pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

Overreliance on anecdotes

Question 16

Two competing groups of scientists have published their findings on biological factors in antisocial personality disorder.Both groups' theories are shown to be incorrect,but only one group corrects and changes its theory.The other group sticks to its theory,demonstrating which warning sign of pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

Lack of self-correction

Question 17

Which of the following statements would your authors find the most worrisome?

Accepted Answer

Pseudoscience is often very interesting and really pretty harmless.

Question 18

One reason to be wary of programs that promise to teach you speed reading techniques in return for money is that such claims do not fit with the available data on information processing and memory.This is consistent with the pseudoscience warning sign known as

Accepted Answer

absence of connectivity.

Question 19

Which of the following is found in science but NOT in pseudoscience?

Accepted Answer

Self-correction of incorrect hypotheses and theories

Question 20

The major difference between pseudoscience and science is that pseudoscience

Accepted Answer

lacks the safeguards against cognitive biases that characterize science.
% correct 65 a = 15 b = 10 c = 65 d = 10 r = .41

Quiz 1: Psychology and Scientific Thinking