Term
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Definition
The large body of information you have learned from obervations and others. The body of justified beliefs that consists of facts we learn from our own direct observations and facts we learned from others.
Used to assign initial plausibility to a claim
Claims that match our background information we tend to rate highly, claims that do not are rated low (i.e. Mr. Neufeld is a space alien from the ‘Spiro’ galaxy)
However claims can still be right or wrong independent of our background information.
Evaluate claim with background information, but know that further information may require a change of mind. If at all possible, do an experiment! |
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Term
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Definition
A person who, through training, education, or experience, has special knowledge or ability in a subject.
how to judge:
1.) Education in a field can lend expertise
2.) Experience (kind and amount)
3.) Accomplishments – good indicators of expertise.
4.) Reputation. How well known are they by others who are experts in the same field
Being ‘famous’ isn’t the same as having a good reputation.
5.) Positions people hold indicate how well somebody thinks of them.
can also disagree
not necessarily an expert in another field |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of omitting or de-emphasizing features in a description of a person, thing , or event, when the person doing the describing does not think those features are important. the result can be a distorted description |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of exaggerating those points that a speaker thinks are important when he or she is describing some person, thing, or event. the result can be a distorted description |
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