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.