For the final exam all you will need is a writing implement.
Part I: Short Answer. You should be able to explain the following concepts and their significance for critical thinking: - The difference between cold and hot reading, as well as some of the techniques used by cold and hot readers.
- The Dunning-Kruger Effect
- Motivated Reasoning
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Some of the major Cognitive Biases discussed in class
- Some of the major Heuristics discussed in class
- Gambler's Fallacy
- Confirmation Bias
- Appeal to Nature
- Fundamental Attribution Error
- Anomaly Hunting
- Lottery Fallacy
- Data Mining
- The three basic assumptions of science
- The three methods of experimentation discussed in class as well as an example to illustrate them
- The five Criteria of Adequacy
- p-Hacking
- Frankfurt's Analysis of Black's Definition of 'Humbug'
- The difference between a lie and bullshit, and which Frankfurt thinks is worse and why
- Why Frankfurt thinks there is so much bullshit
- The Traditional Model of the Media
- The Textbook Model of Democracy
- The Alternative Model of Democracy
- The five filters that make up the Propaganda Model of the Media
- Mainstream, Alternative, and Social Media and explain some of the issues that arise in assessing the credibility of each.
Part II: Essay. You will be given a description of a potentially pseudoscientific product or practice, and you will then write a short essay evaluating that product or practice using the tools we have developed over the course of the semester. | 