Chapter 2: Sources of Information Flashcards
What is the main reason for basing our beliefs on personal experiences?
There is no comparison group
What piece of evidence can be highly problematic?
Personal opinions
Comparison Group/Condition
A group in an experiment whose levels on the independent variable differ from those of the treatment group in some intended meaningful way.
Confounds
A general term for a potential alternative explanation for research finding; a threat to internal validity.
Why can confounds be confused?
Multiple factors occurring at once
Confederate
An actor who is directed by the researcher to play a specific role in a research study.
Probabilistic
Findings do not explain all cases all of the time.
What are conclusions meant to do?
Explain a certain proportion of possible cases.
Intuition
A feeling of knowing without direct evidence/experience. Such that the information feels like it is known instinctively.
What can intuition lead to?
Less effective decisions
What are the 5 examples of biased reasoning?
- Good story
- Availability Heuristic
- Present/Presen Bias
- Confirmation Bias
- Bias Blind Spot
What makes a good story?
Powerful persuasions due to causing remembrance.
What is a good story considered?
A shortcut
Availability Heuristic
Mistaking the ease and frequency of recall with the probability/likelihood of the phenomenon.
The quicker something comes to mind…
the more believable it can be
What does the availability heuristic help make?
stories
What is the availability heuristic considered?
a shortcut
Present/Present Bias
More likely to remember something as a cause and effect if they are present together in the same environment.
What does present/present bias induce?
availability heuristic
What is present/present bias considerd?
A shortcut
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to consider only information or interpretations that agree with what we already believe.
What questions do you ask when confirmation bias is present?
Only questions that will lead to the expected answer
What type of evidence do you accept in confirmation bias?
Evidence that aligns with our beliefs when alternative evidence is available.
What is confirmation bias considered?
Motivation; bias towards what we want to believe
Bias Blind Spot
Belief that we are unlikely, or less likely, to fall prey to biases in decision-making than other people.
What is bias blind spot due to?
Lack of awareness when bias occurs
What is bias blind spot considered?
motivation: bias towards what we want to believe
Authority
Someone with credibility discussing their findings to the public.
Experience
Basing decisions on past experience’s as a sole source of “knowing”
What are the 3 branches of belief?
1.Experience
2. Intuition
3. Authority
Base Rate
The likelihood of an event occurring without condition of anything else.
