Asking the Right Questions with Readings Plus NEW MyCompLab -- Access Card Package

ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.   Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.   Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.   Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.   -- Used in a variety of courses in various disciplines, Asking the Right Questions with Readings helps bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information, and the greater challenge of critical analysis and synthesis.  Specifically, this concise text teaches how to think critically by exploring the components of arguments--issues, conclusions, reasons, evidence, assumptions, language--and on how to spot fallacies and manipulations and obstacles to critical thinking.    0321898060 / 9780321898067  Asking the Right Questions with Readings Plus NEW MyCompLab -- Access Card Package, 1/e  Package consists of: 0205649289 / 9780205649280 Asking the Right Questions with Readings 020589190X / 9780205891900 NEW MyCompLab - Valuepack Access Card

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface   Chapter  1:  The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions   Introduction   Critical Thinking to the Rescue   The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles   An Example of the Panning-for-Gold Approach   Panning for Gold: Asking Critical Questions   The Myth of the “Right Answer”   The Usefulness of Asking the Question, “Who Cares?”   Weak-Sense and Strong-Sense Critical Thinking   The Satisfaction of Using the Panning-for-Gold Approach   Effective Communication and Critical Thinking   The Importance of Practice   The Right Questions   Chapter 2: Critical Thinking Is a Social Activity   Values and Other People   The Primary Values of a Critical Thinker   Thinking and Feelings   Keeping the Conversation Going   Avoiding the Dangers of Groupthink   Chapter 3: What Are the Issue and the Conclusion?   Kinds of Issues   Searching for the Issue   Searching for the Author’s or Speaker’s Conclusion   Using This Critical Question   Clues to Discovery: How to Find the Conclusion   Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Practice Exercises   Fred von Lohmann, "Copyright Silliness on Campus"   Chapter 4: What Are the Reasons?   Reasons + Conclusion = Argument   Initiating the Questioning Process   Words That Identify Reasons   Kinds of Reasons   Keeping the Reasons and Conclusions Straight   Critical Thinking and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Practice Exercises   David Horowitz, "College Professors Should Be Made to Teach, Not Preach"   Chapter  5: What Words or Phrases Are Ambiguous?   The Confusing Flexibility of Words   Locating Key Terms and Phrases   Checking for Ambiguity   Using This Critical Question   Determining Ambiguity   Context and Ambiguity   Using This Critical Question   Ambiguity, Definitions, and the Dictionary   Ambiguity and Loaded Language   Limits of Your Responsibility to Clarify Ambiguity   Ambiguity and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Summary   Practice Exercises   New York Times editoriall, "Juvenile Injustice"   Chapter 6: What Are the Value and Descriptive Assumptions?   General Guide for Identifying Assumptions   Value Conflicts and Assumptions   From Values to Value Assumptions   Typical Value Conflicts   The Communicator’s Background as a Clue to Value Assumptions   Consequences as Clues to Value Assumptions   More Hints for Finding Value Assumptions   Avoiding a Typical Difficulty When Identifying Value Assumptions   Finding Value Assumptions on Your Own   Using This Critical Question   Values and Relativism   Identifying and Evaluating Descriptive Assumptions   Illustrating Descriptive Assumptions   Using this Critical Question   Clues for Locating Assumptions   Avoiding Analysis of Trivial Assumptions   Assumptions and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Practice Exercises   Religion News Blog, "Should We Legalize Marijuana?"   Chapter 7: Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?   A Questioning Approach to Finding Reasoning Fallacies   Evaluating Assumptions as a Starting Point   Discovering Other Common Reasoning Fallacies   Looking for Diversions   Sleight of Hand: Begging the Question   Using This Critical Question   Summary of Reasoning Errors   Expanding Your Knowledge of Fallacies   Fallacies and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Practice Exercises Jacob Sullum, "Gun Control Non Sequiturs"   Chapter 8: How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Personal Experience, Testimonials, and Appeals to Authority?   The Need for Evidence   Locating Factual Claims   Sources of Evidence   Intuition as Evidence   Dangers of Appealing to Personal Experience as Evidence   Testimonials as Evidence   Appeals to Authority as Evidence Problems with Citers Citing Other Citers   Using This Critical Question   Summary   Practice Exercises   Isabel Lyman, "Homeschooling Comes of Age"   Chapter 9: How Good Is the Evidence: Personal Observation, Research Studies, Case Examples, and Analogies?   Personal Observation   Research Studies as Evidence   Generalizing from the Research Sample   Biased Surveys and Questionnaires   Critical Evaluation of a Research-Based Argument   Case Examples as Evidence   Analogies as Evidence Identifying and Comprehending Analogies Evaluation Analogies   Summary   Practice Exercises   Neela Banerjee, "Americans Change Faiths as Rising Rate, Report Finds"   Chapter 10 Are There Rival Causes?   When to Look for Rival Causes   The Pervasiveness of Rival Causes   Detecting Rival Causes   The Cause or A Cause   Rival Causes and Scientific Research   Rival Causes for Differences Between Groups   Confusing Causation with Association   Confusing “After this” with “Because of this”   Explaining Individual Events or Acts   Evaluating Rival Causes   Using This Critical Question   Evidence and Your Own Writing and Speaking   Summary   Practice Exercises   Cathy Arnst, "The World According to Disney"   Chapter 11: Are the Statistics Deceptive?   Unknowable and Biased Statistics   Confusing Averages   Concluding One Thing, Proving Another   Deceiving by Omitting Information   Risk Statistics and Omitted Information   Summary   Practice Exercises   Buddy T, About.com Guide, "College Drinking, Drug Use Grows More Extreme"   Chapter 12: What Significant Information Is Omitted?   The Benefits of Detecting Omitted Information   The Certainty of Incomplete Reasoning   Questions that Identify Omitted Information   The Importance of the Negative View   Omitted Information That Remains Missing   Using This Critical Question   Practice Exercises   Radley Balko, "Back to 18?"   Chapter 13:   What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?   Assumptions and Multiple Conclusions   Dichotomous Thinking: Impediment to Considering Multiple Conclusions   Two Sides or Many?   Searching for Multiple Conclusions   The Productivity of If-Clauses   Alternative Solutions as Conclusions   The Liberating Effect of Recognizing Alternative Conclusions   All Conclusions Are Not Created Equal   Summary   Practice Exercises   Maryann Bird, "Should We Stop Eating Meat to Help the Planet?"   Chapter 14: Overcoming Obstacles to Critical thinkingOvercoming Obstacles to Critical Thinking   Reviewing Famnilair Obstacles   Mental Habits That Betray Us    The Seductive Quality of Personal Experience    Belief in a Just World    Stereotypes    The Urge to Simplify    Belief Perseverance    Availability Heuristic   Wishful Thinking   Chapter 15:  Should We Protect Children from Advertising?   Rebecca A. Clay, "Advertising to Children: Is It Ethical?"   Dale Kunkel and Brian Wilcox, "Television Advertising Leads to Unhealthy Habits in Children; Say APA Task Force"   Cam Beck, "Taking Responsibility for Our McActions"   Lisa Tiffin, "How to Inoculate Your Children Against Advertising"   Susan E. Linn, "Food Marketing to Children in the Context of a Marketing Maelstrom"   Essay Questions   Chapter 16: What Is the Proper Role of Government in Improving the Quality of Families in Our Culture?   Stephanie Coontz, "Taking Marriage Private"   "Swedish Top Lawyer Wants to Legalize Polygamy..."   Peg Tittle, "We License Plumbers and Pilots - Why Not Parents?"   Lizette Alvarez, "Jens and Vita, but Molli? Danes Favor Common Names"   Malcolm Potts, "China's One Child Policy: The Policy That Changed the World"   RIchard Posner, "The Regulation of the Market in Adoption"   Essay Questions    Chapter 17: What is the Secret to Happiness?   Arthur Max and Toby Sterling, "Researchers: Choices Spawn Happiness"   Matthew Herper, "Money Won't Buy You Happiness"   Steve Ross and Olivia Rosewood, "How to Find True Happiness"   Jonathon Clements, "Down the Tube: The Sad Stats on Happiness, Money and TV"   William R. Mattox, Jr., "Does Faith Promote Happiness?"   John Lanchester, "Pursuing Happiness: Two Scholars Explore the Fragility of Contentment"   Essay Questions   Chapter 17:  In What Ways Can the Media Influence Society and What Can We Do About It?   Carrie McLaren, "The Media Doesn't Influence Us...Except When It Does"   Geena Davis, "Children's Media Skew Gender"   Katie Strickland, "Media Isn't Feeding Social Ills"   Ross Gelbspan, "Snowed: Why Is the US News Media Silent on Global Warming?"   Dan Gainor and Amy Menefee, "CNN's Global Warming Special Typifies Liberal Bias of Climate Coverage"   Elmar Etzersdorfer and Gernot Sonneck, "Preventing Suicide by Influencing Mass-Media Reporting: The Viennese Experience 1980-1996"   Essay Questions   Chapter 18: What role does physical appearance play in our lives?   Keith Morrison, "Face Value Hidden Camera Investigation: Do Looks Really Matter?"   Daniel Schweimler, "Argentina: Ugly People Strike Back"   Maggie Stehr, "Study Credits Attractive People with Longer Life"   Susan Kane, "Preparing Children for Plastic Surgery"   Scott Reeves, "Good Looks, Good Pay?"  Henry Wijsbek, "The Pursuit of Beauty"   Essay Questions   Credits   Index