Unit 1 Exam – Critical Thinking Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from the Unit 1 Critical Thinking lecture notes covering thinking modes, biases, logic terminology, expert evaluations, and logical fallacies.

Intuitive Thinking

A fast feeling that uses patterns and past experiences, requires low effort, relies on gut feelings, and does NOT need much working memory.

Rational Thinking

Slow reasoning that involves consciousness, uses language, can explain in steps, uses working memory, and can think about "what if" situations.

Argumentation/Justification

Giving reasons for your discovery.

Logic

Checking whether your thinking makes sense.

Working Memory

Holding information in your mind while working through a problem.

Hypothetical Reasoning

Thinking about what could happen, asking questions such as "If I do this, then what might happen?".

Metacognition

Thinking about your own thinking.

Confirmation Bias

Looking for information that proves what you already believe.

Falsification

Looking for evidence that could prove your idea is wrong.

Optimism Bias

Thinking things will turn out better than they realistically might.

My-side Bias

Favoring your own side or belief.

Framing Effect

A bias where your decision changes depending on how information is worded.

Anchoring Effect

A bias where the first information you hear strongly influences your judgement.

Loss Aversion

A bias where losses feel more important than equal gains.

Belief Bias

Thinking an argument is good just because you agree with it.

Probability Bias/Errors

Ignoring or misunderstanding how likely something is.

Extended Mind Thesis

Using things outside our brain (such as pencils, paper, language, written numbers, and notes) to help us think.

Temporal Beginning

Understanding beginning in terms of time, asking when something started or when it started to end.

Logical Beginning

Understanding beginning in terms of cause, asking what caused something and why it happened.

Hermeneutical Beginning

Understanding beginning in terms of understanding, investigating what something means or when we should consider it to have begun.

Principle of Sufficient Reason

The logical principle that things need a reason or cause.

Copula

The word "IS" in a sentence/judgment that connects the subject to the predicate.

Logos

Word or reason; using language to form ideas and reason by connecting statements together to reach a conclusion.

Concept

Just an idea or word where nothing is being claimed.

Judgment

A claim about a thing that can be judged as true or false.

Syllogism

Connecting statements together to make a conclusion (facts + facts = conclusion).

Valid

Refers to logic and whether the reasoning works (i.e., whether the conclusion follows from the premises).

True

Refers to reality and whether a claim or premise is actually factual.

Classification

Grouping or putting things into categories.

Sapir-Whorf Strong Version

The view that language DETERMINES how you see the world.

Sapir-Whorf Weak Version

The view that language INFLUENCES how you see the world.

Claim

A statement that can be true or false.

Background Information

Reliable things that an individual already knows.

Proportion Belief to Evidence

The principle that strong evidence warrants more confidence, while weak evidence warrants less confidence.

Expert

A person who has strong knowledge and judgement in a specific subject.

Appeal to Authority

Believing a claim just because a famous or respected person says it, even though they are not an expert on that subject.

Conflict of Interest

A situation where someone may benefit from giving a certain opinion, providing a reason to check their claim more carefully.

Impairment

A factor that makes personal experience less reliable, such as being tired, stressed, distracted, intoxicated, or unable to see or hear clearly.

Expectation

Thinking you see or hear something simply because you expected it.

Innumeracy

Making mistakes when judging numbers, odds, or coincidences.

Pareidolia

Seeing a meaningful shape in something random, such as a face in a cloud.

Inattentional Blindness

Missing something in front of you because you are focused on something else.

Gamblers Fallacy

Thinking random results change the next result.

Genetic Fallacy

Arguing that a claim is true or false solely because of its origin or source, rather than judging the idea itself.

Appeal to the Person (Ad Hominem)

Rejecting an argument by attacking the person instead of the argument.

Personal Attack

A type of ad hominem fallacy that involves insulting the person instead of addressing their argument.

Circumstantial Ad Hominem

Rejecting an argument because of someone's background or situation.

Tu Quoque

Saying someone is wrong because they don't follow their own advice.

Poisoning the Well

Telling people not to trust someone before hearing their argument.

Composition

Assuming that what is true about the parts must also be true about the whole.

Division

Assuming that what is true of the whole must be true of the parts.

Equivocation

Using the same word with different meanings in an argument.

Appeal to Popularity

Saying something must be true because many people believe it.

Appeal to Common Practice

Saying something is okay or right because many people do it.

Appeal to Tradition

Saying something must be good or true because it has always been done that way.

Appeal to Ignorance

Saying something is true or false just because there is no evidence proving otherwise.

Appeal to Emotion

Trying to prove a point by using feelings instead of good reasons.

Red Herring

Bringing up an unrelated topic to distract from the real issue.

Straw Man

Changing someone's argument into a weaker or more extreme version so it is easier to attack.