psychology

PART A

WEEK 2

QUESTION1.―Action Plan for Effective Listening.

‖ Create a formalized action plan with specific steps describing what you can do to evaluate your progress in becoming an effective listener. Look at the sample action plan in ―Thinking Activity: 3.4‖ and review the ―Eight steps of effective listening.‖

o Describe exactly what you will do to improve your listening.

o Describe when and where you will try to improve your listening

(days/times/places).

o Describe specifically how you will check your progress.

QUESTION2. ―How Good Is Your Memory? Recall Versus Recognition.‖ Without

looking first at a penny, answer the questions below. (You don‘t need to write down your

answers.)

 Which way is Lincoln facing? To the front, to the left, or to the right?

 Is the date on the left or right side of Lincoln?

 What single word is on the opposite side of Lincoln from the date?

 Does it say “E Pluribus Unum” anywhere on the penny? If so, is it on the front or

back side of the penny?

 Does it say “One Cent” anywhere on the penny? If so, is it on the

front or back?

 Does it say “Give me liberty or give me death” anywhere on the penny? If so, is it

on the front or the back?

 Does it say “In God we trust” anywhere on the penny? If so, is it on the front or

the back?

 Does it say “United States of America” anywhere on the penny? If so, is it on the

front or back?

 Is there a picture of the American flag anywhere on the penny? If so, is it on the

front or the back?

Next, after you have answered each question, look at a penny to see how well you

remembered what it actually looks like. Students will respond to the

following:

o What does this exercise reveal about your own perceptions and memories?

o What differences are there between recognizing and recalling?

o Do these differences suggest anything about the accuracy of memories?

WEEK 3

QUESTION3. : ―Languageless‘ Thinking.‖ Consider the quote by Wittgenstein, ―The limits

of my language are the limits of my life.‖ Students will

respond to

the following:

o Explain whether it is possible to think without using language.

o If you believe it is possible, describe how a person might enact ―languageless‖

thinking.

o If you believe it is not possible, describe what you foresee as the problems with

languageless

thinking.

QUESTION4 Generating Writing.‖ Choose a topic about which you have a strong

opinion. Select a method of finding and using your feelings – 1) inspiration method; 2)

recollection method; 3) conscious selection method. Write quickly about your topic for

five (5) minutes. This is for your eyes only; no one else will read it. After finishing the

writing activity, respond to the following questions:

o Were you surprised by the quantity of the words and a certain raw eloquence?

Explain.

o Did your strong feelings help you generate any worthwhile thoughts? Explain.

o Can you keep the words in this form or do you need to refine and revise them for

public communication? Explain.

o What have you learned about your own thinking and writing from this experience?

o Is there anything you could do to improve the way you start your writing

assignments? If so, what? If not, what is working well for you?

WEEK 4

QUESTION5. ―‗Brainstorming‘ and ‗Starbursting‘ a Topic.‖ Choose a topic from the list

in Appendix A. NOTE: The topic you choose for this exercise will be the basis of

your ―Critical Thinking Paper‖ due in Week 10. Students will respond to the

following:

o Which topic did you choose?

o Why did that topic interest you?

o Share at least four (4) ideas you generated on this topic using the ―brainstorming‖

technique (you should have many more).

o Share at least four (4) questions you generated using the ―starbursting‖ technique.

QUESTION6. ―Clutter Control.‖ Refer to the topic you selected in Discussion 1 above for

your Critical Thinking Paper. Perform the three (3) steps in the CAP organizing process:

Clustering, Analyzing, and Prioritizing.

Students will respond to the following:

o Share the titles of the cluster groups you created (not the individual topics within

each of the clusters.) (―Clustering‖)

o Share the list of topics you placed in one or two of the cluster groups.

o Explain how you modified the list(s) to better serve your argument.

(―Analyzing‖)

o Show how you would order the list of modified topics – this is the beginning of

your outline for the paper. (―Prioritizing‖)

WEEK 5

QUESTION7. Discussion 1: ―Syllogisms.‖ The following discussion questions refer to the activity

assigned under the ―Readings‖ section for this week. Students should respond to the

following:

o Explain the thinking process you used to identify the categorical propositions in

these syllogisms.

o Identify any premises or conclusions with which you did not agree or which you

believe to be false.

o Explain whether you found any syllogisms which appeared to be valid or invalid

and why you think this is the case.

o Diagram one of the syllogisms in Activity 9.1 or 9.2. Describe what your Venn

diagram revealed. Explain whether you thought this method was useful or

challenging.

QUESTION8. ―Beliefs in Everyday Life.‖ Students should respond to the following:

o Describe a belief that you would continue to believe even if solid logical evidence

was supplied which demonstrated your belief could not possibly be true.

o Create a syllogism which ―proves‖ that your belief is based in logical reasoning.

o Evaluate the explanations and arguments of at least two (2) other students to

determine whether there might be some underlying error in their reasoning.

Provide the other students with ―evidence‖ that they could use to eliminate any

potential fallacies in their explanations and/or arguments.

QUESTION9. ―Finding Fallacies or No Fallacies.‖ You encounter arguments everyday

but probably do not notice them. Try to find examples of logical errors and/or examples

of good

syllogistic reasoning.

There are plenty of examples on radio and television talk

shows, in your local newspaper, and even in discussions with your friends. Do not use

examples from Internet Web sites which deal specifically with logic (although the

examples could be from articles posted on the Internet or from blogs). Students will

respond to the following:

o Find at least five (5) ―real-life‖ arguments which could be rewritten as syllogisms.

o In a sentence or two, describe the argument.

o Rewrite each argument as a syllogism.

o Identify whether the argument contains logical errors or is an example of good

syllogistic reasoning.

WEEK 6

QUESTION10. : ―Nature or Nurture Debate.‖ The ―nature or nurture‖ argument is based on

whether a person‘s behavior is a result of heredity or his/her environment. Review the

―Either/Or‖ fallacies in the Thinking textbook.

Students will respond to the following:

o State the main reason why you agree with either the ―nature‖ position or with the

―nurture‖ position.

o Evaluate your own stated reason: Is it supportable with verifiable evidence? Is it

based on reason or opinion? Would the other side think that your stated reason

adequately supports your position?

o Explain whether there are other theories besides nature and nurture that might

explain the variability of human behavior.

o Choose comments from two (2) students who hold a different position from yours

and suggest counter-reasons which challenge each of the other positions.

QUESTION11. ―Operational Definitions.‖ Students will respond to the following:

o Identify a variable for scientific study that can be operationally defined.

o Create an operational definition for the variable.

o Identify what aspects of the variable would be observable and measurable.

o Evaluate whether the variable defined by two (2) other students is an operational

definition or is actually a non-operational definition. Explain whether you think

the variable retains its meaning or loses its meaning.

WEEK7

QUESTION12. ―Observation, Hypothesis, Experimentation, and Verification.‖ Review the

sections on ―The Scientific Method‖ and ―Proving a Theory.‖ Students will respond to

the following:

o Evaluate the claims below by using ―the Scientific Method‖ and ―Proving a

Theory‖ steps.

o Identify one (1) claim which is ineffective or unsupportable and explain what

specifically makes the claim ineffective or unsupportable.

o Explain what you think would have to be done to the claim in order to make it

more effective or supportable.

1. There is a phenomenon known as ―spontaneous human combustion‖ in which most of the

victim‘s body, as well as the chair, in which the person was sitting, is found burned to

ashes but the rest of the objects in the room are relatively unaffected. This phenomenon

suggests that there is a new type of subatomic particle: a ―pyroton‖ that interacts with

cells and causes the victim to burst into flame. [Arnold, L. (1995). Ablaze! New York, NY: M.

Evans.]

2. Many reported ghost sightings involve reenactments of battles, deaths, or murders. This

finding suggests that certain physical objects, such as stones, can record emotions and

events like a video recorder. [Kneale, N. (1972) “The stone tape,” broadcast on BBC, December 25,

1972.]

3. No one has ever actually been abducted by aliens. Instead, the experience of being

abducted has been beamed into the minds of abductees by an intelligent being from

somewhere in the universe that is symbiotically linked to life on this planet. [Rogo, D. S.

(1990). Beyond reality. Wellingborough, UK: Aquarian Press.]

4. People often know when others are staring at them. This shows that perception involves

not only receiving light rays from an object but also projecting some sort of image onto

the object. [Sheldrake, R. (1994). Seven experiments that could change the world: A do-it-yourself guide

to revolutionary science. London, UK: Fourth Estate.]

5. Dreams often seem as real as waking experiences because humans are composed of two

bodies: a physical body and an astral body. When we dream, our astral body leaves the

physical body and travels to the astral plane where the dream actually takes place. [Rampa,

T. L. (1990). You forever (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser.]

6. Food kept inside a structure with the shape of Cheops‘s pyramid stays fresher longer than

food kept outside the structure. The pyramid must serve as a lens that focuses some sort

of cosmic energy onto the food. [Toth, M., Nielson, G. (1985). Pyramid power (Rochester, VT:

Destiny Books.]

 Explore It: ―Survey survival.‖ Create survey questions associated with the ―Critical

Thinking Paper‖ topic you selected in Week 4. Although this survey activity is not

graded, it is a discussion in week 8. Also the information you gather in this exercise will

be an important part of your ―Critical Thinking‖ paper that is due in week 10. This

exploration is also in preparation for Discussion 3 in Week 8.

o Following the four (4) criteria for good surveys, create a survey with at least five

(5) questions related to your topic.

o Plan where and how you will conduct your survey.

o Ask your survey questions to at least ten (10) people who are unrelated to you or

that you have known for less than a month; in other words, do not use friends and

family as participants in your survey.

o Compile and evaluate the results of your survey.

o Check your survey for potential flaws, such as poor operational definitions,

limited generalizability, failure to use a double-blind design, or jumping to causeand-effect conclusions from a correlational design.

o Before you start, keep in mind:

 The population surveyed must be large enough to get results without having

to generalize from too small of a sample.

 People may lie and tell you what they think you want to hear on a

survey.

 Family members and/or close friends are usually not very useful when doing a

survey. Since they tend to have the same opinions as you, relying primarily on

their answers would create a research bias.

 Surveys are often conducted at shopping malls. As you prepare to ask your

survey questions, think about possible drawbacks to soliciting survey

responses from people shopping in malls.

QUESTION 13. : ―Persuasion.‖ Aristotle defines ―persuading through personal character‖ as

our belief that a person is unbiased and has nothing to gain by lying to us.

o Describe a time when you chose to believe in ―the person‖ giving you some sort

of information rather than in the situation which, at least on the surface, appeared

to be much different from what the person you trusted was saying to you about

the situation.

o In the end, who did you choose to believe? The trusted person or the ―impersonal situation?

o If you had to do it over again, which one would you have trusted?

WEEK 8

QUESTION 14

―Examining Tu Quoque Fallacies.‖ Students will respond to the following:

o Describe a time when you were guilty of the fallacy of Tu Quoque. (If you have

ever said, ―Yes, I did X but she did Y first,‖ then you have committed a Tu

Quoque fallacy.)

o Explain honestly whether you thought that justifying your behavior based on the

behavior of someone else legitimized your own behavior in some way.

o Explain whether you think that you will respond in the same way if a similar

challenge is raised again.

QUESTION 15: ―Share Survey Results.‖ Share the results of your survey and your findings

with the rest of the class. Students will respond to the following:

o Consider whether the survey responses were honest. Have you ever lied when

taking a survey? Why might people lie on surveys?

o Assess whether the results are similar to what you expected them to be. If not,

why do you think they were different?

o Describe what you did to minimize design flaws in the survey.

o Identify any potential flaws you may have found in your survey study.

o Evaluate whether any flaws affected the results of your survey. If so, how?

WEEK 9

QUESTION 16. ―Who Do You Ask What?‖ Read through all of the scenarios listed below.

Students will respond to the following:

o For one (1) of the scenarios, identify the components in the problem.

o Determine the questions that you would ask each component in the scenario in

order to gather enough information to start working on a solution to the problem.

(Note: You don‘t have to offer potential solutions to the problem; at this point,

you simply want to gather information.)

o Explain from where and how you would get more information if you needed it.

1. The president of the campus Alumni Association (who has held the one-year position for

the past four years) has been having a difficult time getting enough alumni to attend the

annual meetings so elections can be held and a new president elected, and she really

wants to step down as president. (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007. The instructor’s manual for

thinking.)

2. You have been appointed to the County Planning Commission. One of the growing small

towns in the county needs a highway bypass to decrease traffic through its business

district, but the only logical and most direct proposed bypass route takes it through one of

the more affluent residential areas. The threat of increased traffic, congestion, and

pollution has the residents of the neighborhood in an uproar, and the County Treasurer is

also complaining that the proposed route might lead to a decrease in revenue for the

county, since it would cause a decrease in property values in this affluent neighborhood.

(Kirby & Goodpaster,

2007. The instructor’s

manual for thinking.)

3. Marcus and Arishonne both work to maintain the standard of living that this couple

desires, but they are unable to meet the time demands of both work and domestic life.

Their job demands do not leave enough time for even the most basic things, like cleaning

the house, taking care of the yard, and generally maintaining their home. They have no

children, and their closest relatives are over 600 miles away. (Kirby & Goodpaster,

2007. The instructor’s manual for thinking.)

4. Although everything was fine five minutes ago, a secretary cannot get her computer to

send a document to the printer. The document must be printed for the meeting her boss

has scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes. (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007. The instructor’s

manual for thinking.)

QUESTION 17. ―Slowest Horse.‖ Consider this scenario: Mr. Brown and Mr. Green have

argued several times about which one of them has the slowest horse. They have swapped

stories, each telling of the races his horse has lost, but each man also has failed to

convince the other that his horse was the slowest. Students will respond to the following:

o Create the best solution for solving the problem of who owns the slowest horse.

o Explain your reasons for why you believe your solution would solve the two

men‘s problem.

o Describe a dilemma of your own with a problem similar to the one in the

―Slowest Horse‖ scenario.

o Provide a possible solution for at least two (2) other students‘ dilemmas.

WEEK 10

QUESTION 18. ―Quality Thinking.‖ Students will respond to the following:

o Identify at least one (1) factor which is necessary for evaluating the quality of

your thinking.

o Explain why it is significant for an accurate evaluation of your own critical

thinking.

o Explain whether it is easier to evaluate other people‘s thinking than it is to

evaluate your own. Why or why not?

QUESTION 19. ―Saddling Up.‖ John Wayne once said, ―Courage is being scared to death,

but saddling up anyway.‖ Making a decision sometimes truly feels like an act of courage!

Students will respond to the following:

o Describe a decision you need to make that you have been putting off.

o Identify some of the factors causing you to delay making you decision.

o Explain whether you need more information before you decide. If so, what do you

need to know? How can you get this information?

o Evaluate the consequences of deciding wrongly, of delaying, and of not deciding

at all.

o Determine if you can think through the process and make a decision using an

internal monologue.

o Evaluate whether it would help you to dialogue with others about this decision.

o Review at least two (2) other students‘ comments and thoughtfully contribute

ideas which you believe might assist them in making their decisions.

WEEK 11

QUESTION 20

Make It Real.‖ You‘ve spent a whole quarter learning how to think more

critically, and now it is time to reflect back over the course. Students will respond to the

following:

o Identify two (2) or three (3) key concepts or skills you have learned from this

course that you think will be helpful to you in your current or future positions.

o Explain why you believe these concepts or skills will be beneficial to you.

PART B.

ASSIGNMENT 1

Can you really trust your senses and the interpretation of sensory data to give you an accurate

view of the world? Describe and discuss the accuracy and the weaknesses of the human senses as

they pertain to thinking in general and to your own thinking in particular.

Write a 2-3 page paper in which you:

1. Provide at least three (3) reasons for believing in the accuracy or inaccuracy of sensory

information.

2. Identify and describe at least three (3) factors contributing to the accuracy or inaccuracy

of sensory data.

3. Discuss the roles of ―nature‖ and ―nurture‖ with regard to the interpretation and

evaluation of sensory data.

4. Use at least two (2) quality resources in this assignment. Your textbook may count as one

(1) source. At least one (1) of your sources must be obtained from the collection of

databases accessible from the Learning Resources Center

Web page.

ASSIGNMENT 2.

Using and misusing figurative language may make it more difficult for others to engage in

productive thinking. Listed below are ten (10) types of figurative language. (If you are unfamiliar

with these terms, you may research the definitions. Cite your sources using APA Style.)

TERMS:

1. idiom 6. amphiboly

2. analogy 7. ―flame word‖

3. metaphor 8. hyperbole

4. simile 9. euphemism

5. cliché 10. colloquialism

Write a 3-4 page paper in which you:

1. Define the meaning and function of each term.

2. Provide an example for each term. (The example may be created by you or taken from

another source)

3. Describe the appropriate circumstances for using the example for each term and when it

might lead to misunderstanding.

4. Use at least two (2) quality resources in this assignment.

ASSIGNMENT 3

Assignment 3: Critical Thinking Paper — Draft and Self-evaluation 1

Due Week 8 and worth 50 points

Background and Preparation:

 In Week 4, Discussion 2, you picked a topic, did some brainstorming and ―starbursting‖

on the topic, and used the CAP process to organize the generated material into a rough

outline.

 In the Week 7 ―Explore It‖ activity, you created and conducted a survey on the topic you

selected.

 This week, in Discussion 3, you shared the results of your survey with your classmates.

 Now it is time to write a first draft of your position paper and to self-evaluate the draft.

 Please note: For this assignment you will write both a draft and your self-evaluation of

the draft. However, you will submit only the self-evaluation of your draft. Even though

you are not submitting the draft itself, it is important to follow the guidelines below,

because these are the identical guidelines for the final paper that is due in Week 10.

Draft:

Write a four to six (4–6) page (1000–1200 word) paper that presents a reasoned, convincing

argument for a position on a selected topic. Your paper should cover the following:

1. Follow the five steps of persuasion: establishing credibility, acknowledging the

audience‘s position, constructing a rationale, transplanting root elements, and asking for a

response.

2. Clearly define your position and supporting evidence, and describe the results of your

survey.

3. Include all the necessary ―evidence‖ for the reader to reach the expected conclusion in

each argument in the paper (whether the over-riding argument or one contained in an

individual paragraph)

4. Ensure that each argument in the paper (whether the overriding argument or one

contained in an individual paragraph) is valid and free from both formal and informal

fallacies.

5. Include at least four (4) references (sources). At least one (1) of your sources must be

obtained from the collection of databases accessible from the Learning Resources Center

Web page.

ASSIGNMENT 4

Assignment 4: Critical Thinking Paper — Draft and Self-evaluation 2

Once you have completed a draft which presents and defends your position for your chosen

topic, look at your paper and pay careful attention to any arguments that you are using to support

your position. (Note: If there are no arguments, then you have not written an argumentative

paper!)

Self-evaluation

1. On a separate sheet (not part of the paper), identify the premises and conclusion of each

of the arguments in your paper. Most papers will have one overriding argument and then

several smaller arguments which ―prove‖ the truth of the premises you are making in the

larger argument.

2. Look at each of the arguments you have located in your paper. Carefully study them to

see if there are any informal fallacies. If there are any fallacies, note the name of the

fallacy beneath your identified arguments. Explain why each is a fallacy.

3. Carefully examine each of your arguments again. Even if there isn‘t an informal fallacy

present, is each of the individual arguments valid? Do the premises provide enough

evidence to support the conclusion? If you are not sure, try rewriting each argument as

categorical syllogism and then test for validity. Under each argument, identify whether it

is valid or invalid.

4. Explain to your instructor how you intend to change these arguments in your paper in

order to be certain that they are free from fallacies and are perfectly valid.

5. Once you have completed these tasks, continue editing and revising your paper in order

to eliminate the problems that you have just noted and to make it more persuasive.

The self-evaluation should be at least one (1) page, 250 words minimum. The evaluation should

be typed. APA format is not required for the assignment. Include your name and date.

Your self-evaluation will be assessed based on development and completeness in response to the questions.

ASSIGNMENT 5.

Assignment 5: Critical Thinking Paper: Revised

Your paper should present a reasoned, convincing argument for a position on a selected topic.

Write a 4-6 page paper in which you:

1. Follow the five steps of persuasion: establishing credibility, acknowledging the
audience‘s position, constructing a rationale, transplanting root elements, and asking for a
response.

2. Clearly define your position and supporting evidence, including the results of your

survey.
3. Include all the necessary ―evidence‖ for the reader to reach the expected conclusion in

each argument in the paper (whether the overriding argument or one contained in an

individual paragraph)
4. Ensure that each argument in the paper (whether the overriding argument or one
contained in an individual paragraph) is valid and free from both formal and informal
fallacies.
5. Include at least four (4) references (sources). At least one (1) of your sources must be
obtained from the collection of databases accessible from the Learning Resources Center
Web page.

NOTE: FOR ALL THE ASSIGNMENT, paper should follow guidelines for clear and effectively organized writing:

 The paper is well-organized, and every explanation is both complete and easy to

understand.

 Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph for the paper.

 Main ideas should be addressed in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting

sentences.

 Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

 The paper should be checked for spelling and grammatical errors.

Your assignment must:

 Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins

on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check

with your professor for any additional instructions.

 Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student‘s name, the

professor‘s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are

not included in the required assignment page length