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Chapter 14 Test B
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1. One of the reasons anecdotal evidence is considered unreliable is that:
a. It is often the result of hallucinations.
b. People tend to lie about this kind of evidence.
c. It is not replicable.
d. Reports of anecdotal evidence are often vaguely worded.
e. Subjects often report anecdotal evidence for emotional reasons.
2. One of the problems about superstitions relating to good luck is that:
a. Good luck can always be followed by bad luck.
b. The concept of what good luck amounts to is vague.
c. Good luck is always determined by fate.
d. Good luck is only definable statistically.
e. The occurrence of good luck can be explained scientifically.
3. Scientific hypotheses must be framed narrowly enough to be:
a. Indemonstrable.
b. Provable.
c. Determinable.
d. Rationalizable.
e. Disconfirmable.
4. One of the reasons astrology is not considered a science is that:
a. The rules for casting horoscopes are self contradictory.
b. It is not taught in reputable colleges and universities.
c. Calculating the interactions of planetary influences is too complicated.
d. It shows no progress over many centuries of practice.
e. It has been superseded by astronomy and cosmology.
5. One consequence of Ockham’s razor is that:
a. The more complex an explanation is, the more complete it is.
b. Naturalistic explanations are better than supernatural ones.
c. Supernatural explanations are better than naturalistic ones.
d. The best explanations are the ones containing numerous theoretical entities.
e. Paranormal phenomena are not able to be explained.
6. One of the reasons for the existence of superstitious beliefs is that:
a. They help relieve anxiety.
b. They are a reliable substitute for scientific conclusions.
c. They explain various kinds of delusions and hallucinations.
d. They are more satisfying to religious people than science.
e. They are useful in explaining the content of dreams.
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Chapter 14 Test B
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7. The experiment performed by psychologists Singer and Benassi involving a conjurer who performed before a group of
students tends to show that:
a. A conjurer’s tricks can be exposed by keen observers.
b. People see what they have been conditioned to see.
c. Psychokinesis is possible given the right conditions.
d. Many people are disposed to magical ways of thinking.
e. Clairvoyance is not a reliable way of solving crimes.
8. An example of the placebo effect is:
a. The apparent ability to recognize the picture on a Zener card without actually seeing it.
b. Being able to walk on hot coals without getting burned.
c. The apparent cure that results from taking sugar pills.
d. The apparent ability to bend spoons and keys without touching them.
e. Being able to levitate.
9. An example of pareidolia is:
a. Seeing the face of Jesus in the burn marks on a tortilla.
b. Seeing what appears to be a UFO move against a dark sky.
c. Hearing or seeing what seems to be a ghost just before falling asleep.
d. Seeing the word “STOP” on a partly obscured road sign.
e. Identifying personality features from the bumps on a person’s head.
10. An example of a Gestalt is:
a. A temporary episode of color blindness.
b. A retinal after-image caused by viewing a brightly lighted scene.
c. A distorted perception caused by damage to the frontal lobe of the brain.
d. The pattern created in one’s mind by solving a puzzle.
e. An optical illusion produced by overlapping geometrical figures.
11. An example of the autokinetic effect is:
a. The image of rapidly moving objects in the content of dreams.
b. Seeing unknown entities move about in a dark closet.
c. The perceived movement of a human body after death.
d. The sensation of involuntary bodily movements while falling asleep.
e. The apparent movement of a small stationary light in a dark room.
12. Hypnagogic hallucinations may be the cause of:
a. The appearance of faces in clouds.
b. The alleged sightings of ghosts.
c. Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje.
d. Déjà vu experiences.
e. Near death experiences.
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Chapter 14 Test B
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13. An example of faked evidence is provided by the “feats” of:
a. Bernard Leikind.
b. James Randi.
c. Uri Geller.
d. Ray Hyman.
e. Donald Singleton.
14. The puzzle-solving character of science is illustrated by the effort of scientists to:
a. Determine the atomic number of gold.
b. Identify the composition of moon rocks.
c. Measure the velocity of the earth’s motion around the sun.
d. Determine the salt content of sea water.
e. Detect stellar parallax.
15. The failure of palm readers to identify the causal connection between the lines on a person’s hands and his or her life
indicates that the theory of palm reading is:
a. Internally incoherent.
b. Inadequate.
c. Unfruitful.
d. Dysfunctional.
e. Inapplicable.