SLM 225 Quiz 1 – Study Guide, Revision Notes, and Practice Questions for Exam Preparation
confirmation bias - correct answer ✔✔the tendency people have to embrace information that
supports their beliefs and reject information that contradicts them
-confirms prior belief
-much more critical of information that does not confirm prior beliefs
-can be a problem
reasoning as evolved trait - correct answer ✔✔-recognize what you don't know
-better to have relationships than to be right
-if you are wrong about something together, you feel better
-Usually evolution sorts out things like confirmation bias. But why does it persist?
-We're hyper-social. We are deeply cooperative and co-dependent
-Reasoning is not about the pursuit of truth, it's about finding your 100 people, your tribe.
Searching for the approval of the group.
illusion of explanatory depth - correct answer ✔✔don't know anything about a lot of things
-example of the toilet
-In theory we feel good about our capabilities, but in reality we are clueless.
-We tend to overestimate how good we are at things but are overly critical of other people's
capabilities.
-Be honest about what you know
Dunning-Kruger Curve - correct answer ✔✔Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive
bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social
domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to
objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general.
, free will - correct answer ✔✔ability to take action, unimpeded
-unimpeded: not obstructed or hindered
according to Cave - correct answer ✔✔-you can take action, but you can't do it unimpeded
-your spirit is never unimpeded
ex: can only think of cities that you know exist
-thoughts are emergent - you are not in charge of them (not free will)
determinism - correct answer ✔✔It entails that, in a situation in which a person makes a certain
decision or performs a certain action, it is impossible that he or she could have made any other
decision or performed any other action.
ex: why are you here? - bc i need this class - to graduate and get a degree - to make money - etc.
(keep going)
Soft Determinism - correct answer ✔✔a middle ground between free will and hard
determinism. There is some truth to determinism but it's not complete. There is some choice
involved. Nature vs Nurture: falls in the middle.
fatalism - correct answer ✔✔you have no choice
-whatever is destined to happen, will happen
determinism vs. fatalism - correct answer ✔✔In short, fatalism is the theory that there is some
destiny that we cannot avoid, although we are able to take different paths up to this destiny.
Determinism, however, is the theory that the entire path of our life is decided by earlier events
and actions.
illusionism - correct answer ✔✔defend free will despite evidence against it? - noble lie
confirmation bias - correct answer ✔✔the tendency people have to embrace information that
supports their beliefs and reject information that contradicts them
-confirms prior belief
-much more critical of information that does not confirm prior beliefs
-can be a problem
reasoning as evolved trait - correct answer ✔✔-recognize what you don't know
-better to have relationships than to be right
-if you are wrong about something together, you feel better
-Usually evolution sorts out things like confirmation bias. But why does it persist?
-We're hyper-social. We are deeply cooperative and co-dependent
-Reasoning is not about the pursuit of truth, it's about finding your 100 people, your tribe.
Searching for the approval of the group.
illusion of explanatory depth - correct answer ✔✔don't know anything about a lot of things
-example of the toilet
-In theory we feel good about our capabilities, but in reality we are clueless.
-We tend to overestimate how good we are at things but are overly critical of other people's
capabilities.
-Be honest about what you know
Dunning-Kruger Curve - correct answer ✔✔Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive
bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social
domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to
objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general.
, free will - correct answer ✔✔ability to take action, unimpeded
-unimpeded: not obstructed or hindered
according to Cave - correct answer ✔✔-you can take action, but you can't do it unimpeded
-your spirit is never unimpeded
ex: can only think of cities that you know exist
-thoughts are emergent - you are not in charge of them (not free will)
determinism - correct answer ✔✔It entails that, in a situation in which a person makes a certain
decision or performs a certain action, it is impossible that he or she could have made any other
decision or performed any other action.
ex: why are you here? - bc i need this class - to graduate and get a degree - to make money - etc.
(keep going)
Soft Determinism - correct answer ✔✔a middle ground between free will and hard
determinism. There is some truth to determinism but it's not complete. There is some choice
involved. Nature vs Nurture: falls in the middle.
fatalism - correct answer ✔✔you have no choice
-whatever is destined to happen, will happen
determinism vs. fatalism - correct answer ✔✔In short, fatalism is the theory that there is some
destiny that we cannot avoid, although we are able to take different paths up to this destiny.
Determinism, however, is the theory that the entire path of our life is decided by earlier events
and actions.
illusionism - correct answer ✔✔defend free will despite evidence against it? - noble lie
