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Exam 1 Essays
Directions: choose 2 to answer and turn them in on Friday 2/28/14. Please answer in essay format.
A. Have you, or anyone you know, ever been abducted by aliens? According to one report, approximately 4 million Americans have reported being abducted by aliens (Blackmore, 1998). Are these claims credible? Should we all be on the lookout for flying saucers landing in our backyards?
Although some people fully believe all these reports, and others reject them completely, psychologists—as scientists and critical thinkers—are obliged to study these accounts with a critical eye. As you will learn throughout this course, "critical" does not necessarily mean "rejecting" or "negative." It does, however, mean that we should look for credible evidence and fully evaluate the information and its sources before accepting claims.
There is a special group dedicated to critical thinking, the Committee for the Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). This organization promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.
For this exercise, imagine you are a dedicated member of the CSI and complete the exercises below. In doing so, remember to ask yourself whether there could be an alternative explanation to the one provided, and also remember to consider the credibility of source of the information. 1. Use the Internet to find two reports of alien abductions. What evidence is presented for the occurrence of alien visits? Is the evidence credible? Why or why not? 2. Are there alternate (non-paranormal) explanations for these phenomena? What are they, and are they credible? Why or why not? 3. Think about other extraordinary claims, such as sightings of Big Foot and the Abominable Snowman. How are these similar to alien sightings? What are some other possible explanations for these claims? 4. Critical thinking should not only be applied to extraordinary claims, but should also be used
Directions: choose 2 to answer and turn them in on Friday 2/28/14. Please answer in essay format.
A. Have you, or anyone you know, ever been abducted by aliens? According to one report, approximately 4 million Americans have reported being abducted by aliens (Blackmore, 1998). Are these claims credible? Should we all be on the lookout for flying saucers landing in our backyards?
Although some people fully believe all these reports, and others reject them completely, psychologists—as scientists and critical thinkers—are obliged to study these accounts with a critical eye. As you will learn throughout this course, "critical" does not necessarily mean "rejecting" or "negative." It does, however, mean that we should look for credible evidence and fully evaluate the information and its sources before accepting claims.
There is a special group dedicated to critical thinking, the Committee for the Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). This organization promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.
For this exercise, imagine you are a dedicated member of the CSI and complete the exercises below. In doing so, remember to ask yourself whether there could be an alternative explanation to the one provided, and also remember to consider the credibility of source of the information. 1. Use the Internet to find two reports of alien abductions. What evidence is presented for the occurrence of alien visits? Is the evidence credible? Why or why not? 2. Are there alternate (non-paranormal) explanations for these phenomena? What are they, and are they credible? Why or why not? 3. Think about other extraordinary claims, such as sightings of Big Foot and the Abominable Snowman. How are these similar to alien sightings? What are some other possible explanations for these claims? 4. Critical thinking should not only be applied to extraordinary claims, but should also be used