Assignment task:
In the 19th century, the term "snake oil salesman" referred to a person who traveled from town to town making extravagant claims about their cure-all elixirs. They used deceptive practices to sell their product but would leave town before angry and disappointed customers could get their money back.
In our modern life, we are still bombarded with claims about products/treatments that promise to improve our lives. "Experts" may claim that a cream will make your skin look younger, a mattress will cure your back pain issues, changing your child's diet will cure their attention deficit disorder (ADD), or supplements with "proprietary" ingredients will cause you to lose weight.
But have you stopped to consider if there is scientific evidence to support these claims? Or might some of these claims be made by the modern-day equivalent of a snake oil salesman? Are they aiming to make money by selling a product they know to be ineffective or trying to increase website revenue by driving up website traffic? For any claim you come across, you should consider if scientific procedures have been utilized to validate the claim.
Skepticism and critical thinking are closely related concepts, often intertwined in the pursuit of understanding and evaluating claims, beliefs, and evidence. As such, a skeptic is someone who requires evidence to accept a claim. A skeptic would look for answers to questions such as:
"What evidence exists to support the claim?"
"How was this tested?"
"Who tested this and what credentials do they have?"
"What are the repercussions of purchasing or believing in a method that will not deliver results?"
In this Discussion, you will practice being a skeptic by critically evaluating a media claim for a product. Is the product the modern-day equivalent of snake oil? For this course and beyond, you will learn the skills to be a critical consumer of information. Need Assignment Help?
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
- Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2024). Methods in behavioral research (15th ed.). McGraw Hill.
- Chapter 1, "Scientific Understanding of Behavior"
- Willingham, E. (2012, Nov. 8). 10 questions to distinguish real from fake science
- Stemwedel, J. D. (2011, Oct. 4). Drawing the line between science and pseudo-science
Optional Media:
- Walden University, LLC. (2024). Becoming a skilled consumer of research
- Meyer, R. C. (Director). (2019). A student's guide to critical thinking [Video]. Alexander Street.
To prepare:
i. Review Chapter 1.
ii. Consider what you learned in the Learning Activity, Becoming a Skilled Consumer of Research.
iii. Locate a claim in the media about a product that promises a cure or an improvement for some aspect of psychological or physical health that you are skeptical about and that could potentially be an example of pseudoscience.
- Sources to search: advertisements on social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram), infomercials on the internet, advertisements in television commercials. (If the claim you find is on TV, you can usually also find it on YouTube.)
- Potential topics: homeopathic cures, cures for ADD/ADHD or autism, apps/games to improve memory, anti-aging serums, etc.
iv. Evaluate the claim by applying the textbook's bulleted list of six indicators of pseudoscience claims, which was also included in the Learning Activity.
- Untestable/Unrefuted
- Imprecise, Biased, or Vague
- Anecdotal/Testimonial Evidence
- Questionable Expertise/Credentials
- Confirmatory Evidence/Bias
- Unverifiable Evidence
v. Assess the potential harmful psychological and/or physical effects or outcomes for consumers of this product.
Post a response to the following.
In the first line of your post, state the claim you evaluated (e.g., Exercise app promises weight loss in 30 days).
- Provide a link (URL) to the claim you evaluated. If there is not a link, you may provide a screenshot as an attachment to your post.
- In one short paragraph, summarize the topic and claim that is made.
- Explain at least two indicators of pseudoscience that made you skeptical of the claim.
- Explain at least two potential harmful psychological or physical effects for consumers of this claim.
Note: Your initial response should be supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources and properly cited in APA format. You may state your opinion and/or provide personal examples; however, you must also back up your assertions with evidence, including in-text citation(s) and reference(s) in APA style. It is recommended that you review the Grading Rubric with the criteria that will be used to evaluate your Discussion prior to your submission.
Respond to the initial post of at least one colleague who picked a different topic than you. Identify another potential indicator of pseudoscience present in the claim or an additional harmful effect. Support your colleague reply with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources. Provide a reference list for the resources you used.