Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Recognizing Bias in Reasoning 2

Question 1

A financial advisor warns a client about investing in stocks by describing only the worst market crashes in recent memory. Which bias is most influencing this advice?

Accepted Answer

Availability heuristic

Answer

The availability heuristic leads people to judge likelihood based on how easily vivid or recent examples come to mind, rather than base rates.

Question 2

A study concludes that people who exercise regularly are more successful in their careers, based on a survey of 40 professional athletes. Which flaw most weakens this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

Selection bias

Answer

Surveying only professional athletes is a non-representative sample; the group is not comparable to the general working population.

Question 3

An argument states: 'Our company has operated this way for 50 years, so it must be the correct approach.' Which reasoning error does this reflect?

Accepted Answer

Appeal to tradition

Answer

An appeal to tradition assumes that a practice is correct or good solely because it has been done for a long time, without evaluating its actual merits.

Question 4

A reviewer dismisses a policy proposal by saying, 'We cannot trust this plan because its author was once convicted of fraud.' Without further evidence, this argument commits which error?

Accepted Answer

Ad hominem

Answer

Ad hominem attacks the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself, which is a logical fallacy.

Question 5

Surveys about organ donation show dramatically different consent rates depending on whether the default option is 'opt in' or 'opt out.' This difference in outcomes is best explained by which bias?

Accepted Answer

Framing effect

Answer

The framing effect shows that how a choice is presented can significantly influence decisions, independent of the actual options available.

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Practice Test

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Recognizing Bias in Reasoning 2