Exam 3 Flashcards
(35 cards)
Why is it important to study formal logic before human reasoning?
It helps to understand that humans do not naturally think logically, contrary to early beliefs.
What is an argument?
An argument is a reason or series of reasons that reach a conclusion.
What are premises and conclusions?
A premise is a statement that supports or creates a conclusion, while a conclusion wraps everything together.
What is deductive reasoning?
Deductive reasoning stems from premises to provide complete support for the conclusion.
What are the strengths and limitations of deductive reasoning?
Strength: makes explicit what may not be. Limitation: does not generate new information, just states what is there.
What is inductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning involves going beyond available information, where conclusions are assumptions.
What are the strengths and limitations of inductive reasoning?
Strength: generates new information that can be applied. Limitation: not completely reliable because conclusions are inferred.
What is a fallacy?
A fallacy is a failure of reasoning that harms credibility, often due to the bandwagon effect.
What is the difference between valid and invalid deductions?
Valid deduction means the conclusion is true when all premises are true; invalid deduction means premises are true but the conclusion is false.
What determines validity and truth?
Validity refers to the structure of the argument, while truth is determined by whether a statement is accurate and reflects facts.
What is the belief bias?
Belief bias is the tendency to accept conclusions that align with one’s beliefs, disregarding the argument’s validity.
What is a syllogism?
A syllogism is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions.
What is conditional logic?
Conditional logic examines why we fail at certain tasks in different contexts.
How do people reason with abstractions versus concrete content?
People do not do well with abstractions unless related to situations they are evolutionarily exposed to.
What is evolutionary psychology?
Evolutionary psychology suggests that our thinking is influenced by our ancestors’ behaviors.
What are schemas?
Schemas are rules derived from everyday experiences that aid in reasoning.
What is the difference between a fallacy, bias, cognitive bias, and heuristic?
A fallacy is a flaw in reasoning; a bias is a systematic error; a cognitive bias is a mental shortcut causing errors; a heuristic is a simplified thought process.
What is confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek evidence that supports one’s own beliefs.
What is patternicity?
Patternicity is the tendency of humans to perceive patterns and believe in them.
What is the halo effect?
The halo effect is the tendency to assume that positive judgments imply future goodness.
What is the horn effect?
The horn effect is the tendency to assume that negative judgments imply future badness.
What is the just world bias?
The just world bias is the assumption that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people.
What is hostile attribution bias?
Hostile attribution bias is the tendency to perceive others as mean or hostile.
What is the fundamental attribution error?
The fundamental attribution error is attributing bad outcomes to internal causes.
