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G122
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

AY2022 Semester 1
Lesson 04 | Closing Presentation
Information Credibility
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Learning Outcomes
1. Examine credibility of source and information by
considering its recency, reputation, and relevance.
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What is credibility
• The quality of being trusted and believed in.
• When we trust that a piece of information is true, objective,
and/or accurate, the credibility of information is perceived to
be high.
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Examining credibility
Recency • When is the information published?
• Are there recent developments?

Reputation • What do I know about the reputation of the source /

author and how can I find out?

Alternative • Are there alternative sources regarding the same

information? Do they support or contradict the original
information?

Relevance • Do the information/evidence support the main claims in

the article?
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Revisiting Problem
Statement
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The article was published in various reputable Application of concept(s):

news sources such as The Straits Times and CNA
in 7 Mar 2022. • Information credibility
• Authority bias
However, the student has misquoted the
information. According to CNA, the purpose of
removing mid-year exams is so that teachers can
better pace and deepen students’ learning. In
place of mid-year exams, teachers use ongoing
assessments to identify students’ learning needs.

There was no mention that the removal of exams

was because ‘it was unnecessary’. It seems like he
has misquoted the authority without
understanding the context.
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Application of concept(s): The article was published in various reputable

• Information credibility news sources such as BBC and Yahoo! News in
October 2021. We can verify that this incident
• Anecdotal fallacy indeed happened.

She has committed an anecdotal fallacy. This is

because she used an isolated incident to reach a
conclusion that exams affect students’ mental
well-being.

To improve her argument, she can change the

source of evidence in her premise to a more
recognized authority (i.e., psychologists, school
administrators, etc), and to make her conclusion
less probabilistic.
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Application of concepts:
• Slippery slope fallacy
She has committed a slippery slope fallacy. The
premises of how failing an exam would affect self-
esteem, to eventually being out of jobs, do not
support the conclusion that we should ban all
exams. The chance of the sequences of events
happening is unlikely and exaggerated.
To improve her argument, she can amend the
premises to be less probabilistic, and change the
conclusion to: we need to study how failing
exams may affect a person’s self-esteem and
future prospects.
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The student has committed confirmation bias. He Application of concept(s):

searches for only information that confirms his
initial belief that exams are unnecessary. He also • Confirmation Bias
ignores information that may suggest exams have
their own advantages.

To avoid confirmation bias, he should look for

alternative evidence that suggests that exams
have their advantages, and decide if the
alternative evidence is strong enough to reject his
initial belief.
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Application of concepts: She has committed a circular reasoning fallacy.

The premise and conclusion are repetitive,
• Circular reasoning without any new information added.

To improve her argument, she can change the

argument into:

Premise 1: Over emphasis on examinations

brings stress and anxiety to both parents and
students.
Conclusion: We should reduce the need for
frequent examinations for students.
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This student made a bad argument. Firstly, his Application of concept(s):

premises did not support his conclusion. He used
an isolated example to conclude that exams are • Criteria of arguments
not necessary.

Secondly, his premises were not true. There are

many qualities that employers look out for
besides practical skills. These qualities include
being a team player, ability to communicate
effectively, etc. Even if one is strong in their
practical skills, they may lack these qualities
which may impede their work progress.

To improve his argument, he should change his

premises to reflect the accuracy of his claims.
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Application of concepts: Both students have committed bandwagon bias.

Just because everyone in their circle are skipping
• Bandwagon bias revision to go café hopping does not mean that
they should follow. They have not examined the
reasons for doing so.

To avoid bandwagon bias, they must examine the

reasons for and against skipping revision to do
something else, and weigh the pros and cons.
Only after a careful consideration
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Sample argument in support of exams

Premise 1: Exams provide feedback to the students, giving them an
awareness of their learning gaps.

Premise 2: Without an awareness of their learning gaps, students are

not able to improve on their learning.

Conclusion: Therefore, exams are necessary to help students improve

on their learning.
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Sample argument against exams

• Premise 1: Exams steer students’ focus away from learning.

• Premise 2: This is because they tend to be fixated on getting the right

answers for the exams rather than exploring the subject deeper.

• Conclusion: We should minimise exams so that more time can be

used for deep learning rather than preparation for the exams.