Evaluating Evidence Part 1

Evaluating Evidence Part 1

Strong Evidence

• Is a FACT or a DIRECT QUOTE

• An opinion, even if it supports the claim, is not strong evidence

• Opinion - not a fact: Masks make people uncomfortable and should not be mandated.

• Strong Evidence - The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), indicates that wearing a mask prevented the spread of infection from two hair stylists to their customers in Missouri.

Multiple Choice

Which one is strong evidence?

• My sister says that talking to me helped her learn how to express her emotions.

• Emotions are important and need to be discussed.

• The American Psychiatric Association study reveals that the majority of people who recovered from depression did so by talking about their feelings.

Multiple Choice

Which one is strong evidence?

• And large majorities of both Democrats (93%) and Republicans (82%) favor background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows.

• If the government registers our guns, the next step is them finding gun owners and taking those guns away from them.

Multiple Choice

Which one is strong evidence for the claim that more gun regulations will decrease gun violence?

• If there were fewer guns, people would not have using guns as an option, and they would not be able to kill as many people in one event as is now possible with guns.

• The USA Today reports, "But improvements of any kind will ultimately fall short when existing laws are not vigorously applied. Americans can hardly be expected to get behind new gun laws when authorities keep bungling old ones."

• My sister told me that the states with the most gun control laws have the most gun-related crimes and murders, so clearly, more laws do not decrease violence.

Strong Evidence should come from a CREDIBLE source and be relevant to the claim.

• My friends or an opinion from someone you know = not a credible source.

• A blog or wikipedia = not a credible source.

• I saw a study on Facebook/Snapchat = not a credible source.

Multiple Choice

A dentist is NOT a credible source for:

• the kind of treatment appropriate for animals

• the best kind of dental implant

• the impact of anasthesia on patients

Multiple Choice

When you see a study on social media, you should...

• see what your friends think - they will probably know if it is credible

• try to find the actual source they cite or look up the statistic for yourself

• believe it - people wouldn't share it if it weren't true

• nothing shared on social media is ever true

Multiple Choice

You can never believe CNN.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

You can never believe FOX news.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

You should question where journalists got their information from and look for original source information.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

A survey of Americans is a reliable source for what

• is the right policy to put in place

• is ethical or moral

• the majority of Americans think

Multiple Choice

What is a more reliable source of information for your heart health?

• a politician

• a single doctor from any medical field

• a group of doctors from all medical fields

• a group of doctors from the specific field of heart medicine

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is credible evidence for the claim: Climate Change is dangerous.

• My sister told me when she went to Alaska, the glaciers were disappearing at a faster rate than the locals had ever before seen.

• A survey of Americans shows that most Americans do not feel threatened by climate change. They do not see any increase in sea levels or temperatures.

• According to NASA satellites, effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.

If you have time, please work on the NRI: Evaluating Evidence.