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Below are 20 logic puzzles known as syllogisms. Each syllogism is made up of two premises followed by a
conclusion. For each syllogism you must decide whether the conclusion is valid or invalid by determining
whether it follows logically from the premises without the need for any other information. The average score
is about 10 to 12 correct out of 20. A brief explanation and the answers can be found at the bottom of the
page
Example:
END
ANSWERS TO FOLLOW…
Explanation:
Syllogisms are most easy to get right when logical necessity agrees with common sense.
The conclusion follows logically from the premises and also is believable; we know from experience that not
all fruit are apples, so there is no conflict between our ‘heuristic reasoning’ based on past experience and
our ‘analytical reasoning’ working out the answer from the premises.
The conclusion is believable; we know from experience that MacBooks are indeed a type of computer BUT
this does conclusion does not follow logically from the premises so is invalid. In this case our heuristic
reasoning is in conflict with our analytical reasoning and we will find it a lot harder to get the answer right.
When these two modes of mental processing are in conflict and we inappropriately use our heuristic
reasoning it is called belief bias. I have listed below for each syllogism whether the conclusion was valid or
invalid, believable or unbelievable and have marked a 1 next to the syllogisms where the belief bias effect
was likely to occur.
Answers: