critical thinking lecture 6 judging credibility by david kelsey
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Critical ThinkingLecture 6
Judging Credibility
By David Kelsey
Credibility
• Credible: – to be believable.
– Sources and Claims
– Credibility from reasons
The credibility of claims
• The credibility of a claim can come in degrees.
• Examples:
Inherent Credibility
• It is reasonable to be suspicious if a claim lacks credibility inherently or comes from a source that lacks credibility.
– A claim lacks inherent credibility to the extent that it conflicts with…
– The Mail example:
Limitations to observations
• Limitations to observations: – Don’t be so quick to reject claims that conflict with observation
• Unreliable observations:– Environmental conditions:
– Distracted:
– Impaired:
– Instruments:
– Biases
– Memory
Background information
• A claim also lacks inherent credibility if it conflicts with one’s background information.
– Background Information: • that immense body of justified beliefs that consists of facts we learn from our own
observations and facts we learn from others.
– What do you do when a claim conflicts with your background info?
– Example• Palm trees
The Credibility of sources
• Source: – a person from whom one has obtained some information.
• Example
– Credibility in Degrees• Example
Irrelevant Considerations
• Irrelevant Considerations:
• Examples:– Physical characteristics
– Certain body gestures and postures
– Gender, age, ethnicity, accent and mannerisms.
– Clothing
Credible sources
• A source can lack credibility for any one of 4 reasons:• 1. knowledge
• 2. truthfulness
• 3. accuracy
• 4. objectivity
Biases
• Biases:– To have a bias toward a person, place or thing is to favor that person, place
or thing over others.
Sharpening and Leveling
Sharpening and Leveling: • a report or story occurs when one exaggerates what she thinks is the main point
and drops out or de-emphasizes details that seem peripheral.
What matters when judging credibility?
• There are several factors that matter when judging a source’s credibility:
– Education
– Experience
– Accomplishments
– Reputation
The Media
• Editing:– Radio and television
– Newspapers
– The Internet
– News magazines
• What sources are credible?
Talk radio
• Talk radio: – Credibility is questionable because:
• News often based on rumor or hearsay
• Selective presentation of the facts
The news media: private businesses
• News media in this country are private businesses.– No govt. control
– The Threat of cancelled advertising
The internet
• The internet:– Use caution
• 2 kinds of sites:– 1) Commercial and Institutional sources:
– 2) Individual and group sites:
Advertising
• Advertisements and Skepticism:
– Advertising firms
• Just ask: – Does this ad give us a good
reason to buy this product?
Kinds of Advertisements
• There are two kinds of ads:• 1) Ads that offer reasons for buying a product.
– Examples
• 2) Ads that don’t offer a reason for buying their product– Ads that bring pleasurable feelings
– Ads that depict the product being used by people we admire
– Ads that depict situations in which we would like to find ourselves.
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