Critical Thinking Credibility of Evidence 1

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Critical ThinkingCredibility of Evidence 1

• Criteria to use (Criterion singular)
• Reputation-Does the source have a reputation for
  reliability, e.g. the difference between The Sun
  and the BBC
• Ability to observe-Could the source see what it
  claims has happened
• Vested Interest-Does the source have a reason to
  be biased e.g. someone accused of war crimes who
  denies any responsibility
• Neutrality-Opposite of Vested Interest, does the
  source have a neutral outlook on the claim
• Expertise/Training-Does the source have relevant
  training or expertise that would support their
  claim, e.g. a Doctor giving a medical opinion

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Credibility of Sources

• Do you believe the source?
• Can you trust the claims being made?

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Evaluation

• Reputation
• Ability to See
• Vested Interest
• Expertise
• Neutrality / Bias

RAVEN
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Reputation

• What is the track record of the witness?
• What is the status of the witness?

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Reputation

• TRACK RECORD - If a person has told lies in the
  past, then we will be less trusting of them in
  the future Remember the boy who cried wolf?
• STATUS - If a person is in a position of
  authority, like a judge or a professor, then
  their status suggests that they can be trusted,
  as they need to be trustworthy to do that job.

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Whose reputation would you trust?
Job v or X Reasoning
Politician
Doctor
Used car salesman
Teacher
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Ability to See

• Were they there to witness what happened?
• Did they have a clear view of what happened?

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Ability to See

• A person who can see an event happening is more
  reliable than someone who did not see the event.

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Use of other senses?
Sense How could this affect a witnesss evidence?
Sight
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Touch
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Vested Interest

• Does the witness have something to gain by
  telling the truth?
• Does the witness have something to gain by
  telling lies?

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Vested Interest

• Vested Interest is when somebody might have
  something to gain by lying about something
• A plumber might look at a faulty washing machine
  and say there is more wrong with it than there
  really isSo that they can get more work and make
  more money!

I can fix it .. but it will cost you!
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Vested Interest

• If somebody has a vested interest, then the
  credibility of their evidence is weakened, and
  therefore they are not as trustworthy.

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Match the situation with the vested interest
I dont want to have a criminal record, so Ill
say it wasnt me
Im refereeing an important rugby match
Ive been offered 500 to make sure Saracens win
the match
Im being bullied at school
I darent tell anyone so Im going to keep my
mouth shut
Ive been accused of shoplifting
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Expertise

• Does the witness know what they are talking
  about?
• Is their expertise relevant?

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Expertise

• This doesnt mean that somebody has to be an
  expert to give evidence, but somebody who knows
  what they are talking about is more trustworthy
  than someone who doesnt.
• Expertise relates to whether an observer has the
  right background knowledge to give evidence on a
  subject.

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Does the witness have expertise?

• A traffic accident has occurred and the
  following witnesses come forward to give their
  account

Learner Driver
Primary School Child
Jenson Button
Traffic Policeman
Motor Mechanic
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Neutrality / Bias

• Is the witness merely a neutral observer?
• Or does the witness have reason to favour one
  particular side of a dispute?

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Neutrality / Bias

• A neutral witness is somebody that doesnt take a
  side on the argument. If a person is neutral,
  they are not influenced either way.
• The opposite of neutrality is Bias. If a person
  is biased, they have already made their mind up
  about a situation.

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Bias In War Reporting
We
Take out
Suppress
Eliminate
Neutralise
Dig in
Our boys are
Professional
Cautious
Heroes
Loyal
Brave
They
Destroy
Destroy
Kill
Kill
Cower in foxholes
Theirs are
Brainwashed
Cowardly
Cornered
Blindly Obedient
Fanatical
We have
Army, Navy, RAF
Reporting Guidelines
Press Briefings
They have
A war machine
Censorship
Propaganda
Our leader is
Resolute
Statesmanlike
Assured
Theirs is
Defiant
An evil tyrant
A crackpot monster
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Critical ThinkingCredibility of Evidence 2

• Criteria to use (Criterion singular)
• Nature of the claim-Is the claim itself credible,
  or very unlikely, e.g. when someone claims to
  have witnessed a miracle
• Credible reasons for the claim-Can the source
  support their claim with credible reasons, or is
  it not supported
• Corroboration-Is there corroboration of the claim
  from independent sources, e.g. it is backed up
  elsewhere
• You need to be able to use the Criteria in
  deciding which sources and authorities are
  credible/reliable and on what grounds

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Using Credibility Criteria

• When assessing the credibility of a source you
  should use
• whatever criteria you think is relevant, and
  often will use at
• least two.
• EG An Eye Witness Report Emphasis on the high
  credibility of direct observation
• But also
• Vested Interest Did the eyewitness have
  anything to gain by including or excluding
  evidence
• Bias Did the eyewitness observe a friend and
  try to present them in the best light?
• Expertise Did the eyewitness have any relevant
  expertise which may increase the credibility of
  the evidence
• Reputation Has the eyewitness got a reputation
  for honesty or dishonesty
• Corroboration Is the evidence given by the
  eyewitness supported by other sources of evidence
• Selectivity Did the eyewitness see only part of
  the event?
• Context Did the context allow for a clear view
  of the event?
• Here we can see combining different criteria
  improves our
• assessment of credibility of evidence

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Key Terms

• Argument A reason or reasons that support a
  conclusion
• Evidence Information used to support an
  argument
• Source Where evidence comes from e.g. eye
  witness
• Credibility Believability, a cr4edable source
  is a believable source
• Credibility Criteria criteria used to assess
  the credibility of sources
• and evidence
• Neutrality Impartial, not taking sides
• Vested Interest Having something to gain from a
  particular outcome
• Bias Favouring a particular view
• Expertise Specialist knowledge
• Reputation What is generally thought about a
  persons character or
• Standing
• Observation Direct observation of an event by
  an eyewitness
• Eye witness account A report by someone who has
  personally observed
• an event
• Corroboration Confirming, giving support to,
  Corroborative evidence is
• evidence that supports each other, point in the
  same direction.
• Selectivity The choice of evidence to support
  an argument
• Context The setting or situation in which
  evidence is produced

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Credibility of Evidence Can we apply the
criteria?

• Objectives
• To apply the criteria to multiple evidence to
  assess its credibility
• To make judgements on the evidence
• To start to come to conclusions based on the
  evidence

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Table for assessing Multiple Evidence
Evidence Letter Criterion applied Effect on credibility Corroboration with.





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Table for assessing Multiple Evidence Two Dogs
Fighting
Evidence Letter Criterion applied Effect on credibility Corroboration with.
A
B
C
D
J