From media, personal experience, or the Internet, identify an example of each of the following sources of distortion (faulty causal and/or statistical inference) for the following:
a. A study with questionable sponsorship or motives
b. Reliance on insufficient evidence/hasty generalization
c. Unbalanced or biased presentation
d. Unexamined assumptions
e. Faulty causal reasoning
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a. A study with questionable sponsorship or motives:
An example could be a study funded by a tobacco company claiming that smoking does not cause lung cancer. In this case, the sponsorship by a tobacco company with a clear motive to protect their interests could lead to potential distortion of the study's findings.
b. Reliance on insufficient evidence/hasty generalization:
An example could be a news article stating that based on a survey of 100 people, it can be concluded that a majority of the population supports a particular political candidate. In this case, relying on a small sample size and making a generalization about the entire population based on insufficient evidence can lead to distorted conclusions.
c. Unbalanced or biased presentation:
An example could be a news report that presents only one side of a controversial issue and fails to include opposing viewpoints. By excluding different perspectives and providing a one-sided presentation, the media can contribute to biased reporting or distorted information.
d. Unexamined assumptions:
An example could be an article discussing the negative effects of video games on children's behavior and academic performance, assuming that all video games have the same impact. This unexamined assumption fails to consider the wide variety of video games available and their distinct content, potentially leading to a distortion of the overall conclusions made.
e. Faulty causal reasoning:
An example could be a blog post claiming that the increase in crime rates is directly caused by the rise in video game popularity. This faulty causal reasoning assumes a direct cause-effect relationship without addressing other potential factors, such as socio-economic conditions or changes in law enforcement, that could contribute to the increase in crime rates.