A student decides to accept a celebrity's claim on social media that a specific herbal tea cures anxiety, simply because the celebrity is a well-known public figure. In one to three sentences, apply the three limitations of the method of authority to explain why this student should critically evaluate the celebrity's claim.
Question: A student decides to accept a celebrity's claim on social media that a specific herbal tea cures anxiety, simply because the celebrity is a well-known public figure. In one to three sentences, apply the three limitations of the method of authority to explain why this student should critically evaluate the celebrity's claim.
Sample answer: The student should critically evaluate the claim because the celebrity (the authority figure) may be wrong, might be using intuition rather than empirical scientific evidence, or may have personal reasons to mislead the audience, such as financial sponsorship. Therefore, relying solely on their authority is insufficient for establishing clinical truth.
Key points:
- The celebrity acts as the authority figure in this scenario.
- The celebrity may be wrong or relying on personal intuition instead of scientific facts.
- The celebrity may have personal reasons (like advertising or sponsorships) to mislead the student.
Rubric: Grading criteria: The student must apply the three limitations (being wrong, relying on intuition, or having reasons to mislead) to the celebrity context within one to three sentences.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A student decides to accept a celebrity's claim on social media that a specific herbal tea cures anxiety, simply because the celebrity is a well-known public figure. In one to three sentences, apply the three limitations of the method of authority to explain why this student should critically evaluate the celebrity's claim.