D265 WGU CRITICAL THINKING:
REASON AND EVIDENCE SECTION 3
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
anchoring and adjustment bias - Answer-o We tend to anchor to the first piece of
information we have about a new domain, and then only adjust up or down from there.
o Mainly dealing with Sales.
§ Example: Do you think more than 3 million or fewer than 3 million people live in
Wyoming?
§ You probably guessed 1 or 4 million, but not guessed 300,000 or 300 million.
availability bias - Answer-o Is when the mind generalizes based on what is available to it
rather than on what is objectively true.
Example: Reading of frequent dog attacks by breeds such as pit bulls and rottweilers,
this information becomes immediately available in your mind when you see one of these
breeds and your mind goes to thinking the dog might attack.
selection bias - Answer-o Happens when the sample we generalize from is not
representative of the total population in some important respect.
§ A survey is handed out at a baseball game asking participants to rank sports in terms
of how entertaining they are. In the survey results, the majority of people choose
baseball as the most entertaining sport. From this, Ana concludes that the majority of
Americans find baseball to be the most entertaining sport. - Answer-§ Selection
Barney is trading in a car. The dealer offers Barney $300 for his car. That sounds low,
so Barney rejects the offer. The dealer offers $400. That seems generous to Barney -
Answer-Anchoring
Claire is trying to decide where to go on vacation. She considers going to the beach.
But the first thing that comes to mind is a scary story she heard about someone being
stung by a jellyfish on the beach. Claire concludes that the beach is not a safe option. -
Answer-Availability
Don meets an old man wearing a sweater on the street asking for a large sum of money
to fix his car. Because this old man seems grandfatherly, Don trusts him. - Answer-
Representativeness
Ellen thinks that American cars are the best cars. She reads multiple independent
studies showing problems with American cars. Ellen ignores these studies because they
conflict with her belief. - Answer-Confirmation
REASON AND EVIDENCE SECTION 3
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
anchoring and adjustment bias - Answer-o We tend to anchor to the first piece of
information we have about a new domain, and then only adjust up or down from there.
o Mainly dealing with Sales.
§ Example: Do you think more than 3 million or fewer than 3 million people live in
Wyoming?
§ You probably guessed 1 or 4 million, but not guessed 300,000 or 300 million.
availability bias - Answer-o Is when the mind generalizes based on what is available to it
rather than on what is objectively true.
Example: Reading of frequent dog attacks by breeds such as pit bulls and rottweilers,
this information becomes immediately available in your mind when you see one of these
breeds and your mind goes to thinking the dog might attack.
selection bias - Answer-o Happens when the sample we generalize from is not
representative of the total population in some important respect.
§ A survey is handed out at a baseball game asking participants to rank sports in terms
of how entertaining they are. In the survey results, the majority of people choose
baseball as the most entertaining sport. From this, Ana concludes that the majority of
Americans find baseball to be the most entertaining sport. - Answer-§ Selection
Barney is trading in a car. The dealer offers Barney $300 for his car. That sounds low,
so Barney rejects the offer. The dealer offers $400. That seems generous to Barney -
Answer-Anchoring
Claire is trying to decide where to go on vacation. She considers going to the beach.
But the first thing that comes to mind is a scary story she heard about someone being
stung by a jellyfish on the beach. Claire concludes that the beach is not a safe option. -
Answer-Availability
Don meets an old man wearing a sweater on the street asking for a large sum of money
to fix his car. Because this old man seems grandfatherly, Don trusts him. - Answer-
Representativeness
Ellen thinks that American cars are the best cars. She reads multiple independent
studies showing problems with American cars. Ellen ignores these studies because they
conflict with her belief. - Answer-Confirmation
