Reference no: EM133357973

Assignment:

Purpose: To understand how people can hold onto incorrect ideas, a little about how bias works, and a lot about thinking scientifically.

Overview: You may have noticed that recently it seems there are a growing number of people who don't "believe" in science. Some are very vocal about this, while others are just skeptical of many findings that come from both social and physical sciences. Here is the power of the scientific process and critical thinking... we do understand why some people are skeptical or do not "believe" in science.

Step 1: Look at the myths below. Some of these may be controversial socially but have solid scientific backing that they are myths. Take a second to think about these myths and the people who believe them.

Myths:

1. The earth is flat
2. Opposites attract
3. Humans have no impact on climate change
4. Vaccines cause autism
5. We only use 10% of our brain

Step 2: Look at the list "Reasons People Don't Believe in Science" attached below. Predict why people would believe the myths above using some of the "reasons" below.

Step 3: Write a bullet point list where you identify each of the myths listed above (five total). For each myth, identify 2-3 reasons people believe in that myth. Make sure to talk about how someone might exhibit that reason.

Example: The Earth is Flat - Drawing connections from what we see is easy

1. People often say that the Earth is Flat because if you look out onto the horizon, it does not appear to be curved.
2. The main way that Flat-Earthers explain why they believe that the Earth is flat is by saying "it looks flat, so it must be flat"

Step 4: Write a one-paragraph conclusion that discusses what you have learned about the importance of information literacy and scientific thinking for you.