Ethics Quiz on Biases and Fallacys

Question 1

Actor-observer Bias

Answer 1

the tendency to judge our
own behavior as resulting from the particular circumstances we are in rather than the some general fact about our personality

Question 2

In-group Bias

Answer 2

Our preference for people who
belong to the same social groups as us, with the effect of not caring about people who belong to other social groups

Question 3

Group polarization (Sociocentric thinking)

Answer 3

the way our individual beliefs
and attitudes can become more extreme and more rigidified in the presence of other members of our social group

Question 4

Out-group homogeneity effect

Answer 4

the tendency to see those in the out-group as all alike and interchangeable and even expendable while viewing the in-group as made up of unique and diverse individuals

Question 5

Status quo bias

Answer 5

the unjustified preference for the current state of affairs

Question 6

False consensus bias

Answer 6

this happens when we overestimate how much people agree with our beliefs, opinions, preferences, and values

Question 7

Hostile media effect

Answer 7

the tendency to look for evidence that the media is biased against one’s own viewpoint

Question 8

Ad hominem (abusive attack)

Answer 8

happen when it is the arguer who is criticized rather than their argument

Question 9

Ad hominem-circumstantial

Answer 9

occurs when an argument is dismissed due to an arguer’s supposed motive

Question 10

Appeal to tradition

Answer 10

this occurs when an arguer claims that a particular belief or practice is right because it has a long history and tradition

Question 11

Hasty generalization

Answer 11

this occurs when an arguer reaches a conclusion about a group on the basis of a small or unrepresentative sample of that group

Question 12

Fallacy of anecdotal evidence

Answer 12

this occurs when an arguer denies the truth or plausibility of a generalization based on her or his knowledge of a counterinstance

Question 13

Straw person

Answer 13

this occurs when someone reformulates another person’s argument in such a way that it is more vulnerable to objections and harder to defend

Question 14

Slippery Slope

Answer 14

this occurs when an arguer claims that accepting a certain position will soon lead to greater and greater disastrous outcomes, although there is no evidence connecting the position to this terrible outcome

Question 15

False dilemma

Answer 15

this occurs when an arguer presents two options as if they are the only ones, while obvious alternatives are easily available

Question 16

Appeal to ignorance

Answer 16

this occurs when someone argues for a particular conclusion on the basis of an absence of evidence

Question 17

Complex question

Answer 17

this occurs when an arguer embeds a controversial assumption in a question so that a response to the question will confirm the assumption

Question 18

Perfectionist

Answer 18

this occurs when an arguer objects to a proposal on the grounds that the proposal will not lead to a perfect result