Self-study
Journal: In several psychological studies, subjects were given statements to read that caused them to form new beliefs. ██████ ███ ████████ ████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██████████ ████ ██████ ███ ███████ ███████ ████████ ████ ████ ████████ ██████████ ██ █████ █████ ████████ ████████ ████ █████ █████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██████████ ████ ██████ ████ ████████ ████████ ████ ██████ ████████ ██ ████ ████ ████████ ███████ ████ ██ ███ ███████ ██ ███ ████████ ████████ ██ ███████ █████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The journal concludes that people retain their acquired beliefs even when they are no longer supported. It points to studies where people formed beliefs on the basis of information, then kept those beliefs after learning the information was inaccurate.
Notable Assumptions
The journal assumes that the inaccurate information provided to participants was the only credible evidence to support their beliefs. It also assumes subjects were convinced that the original information was false, or at least given good reason to believe so.
13.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ██████████ ███ █████████ █████████
a
Regardless of the █████ ██ ████ ███ ████████ ████ █████ █████ ███ ███████ █████ ██ ███ ████████ ██████████ █████ ███ ███ ████ █████ ████████
It isn’t relevant whether their beliefs were correct, only whether there was credible evidence to support them. If the subjects held their beliefs despite lacking evidence for them, the argument stands even if those beliefs were true.
Failed alternate explanation
Failed alternate explanation
Weaken Qs: Answers that try to introduce an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to explain a different phenomenon.
Strengthen Qs: Answers that try to eliminate an alternate explanation, but fall short, or try to eliminate an explanation for a different phenomenon.
b
It is unrealistic ██ ██████ ██████ ██ ████ █████ ██ ███ ████████ █████ ██ █████ ████████ ███ ██ ██████ █ ██████ ████ ███ ████████ █████ ██ █████████
This suggests it’s unrealistic to expect the opposite outcome, but does not challenge the conclusion drawn. It’s another possible conclusion of the argument, more strongly supported than the actual conclusion.
c
The statements originally █████ ██ ███ ████████ █████ ██ ██████ ██████████ ████ ██ █████
It isn’t relevant that the information was inaccurate or misleading, only that participants first believed it and subsequently learned it was false. This doesn’t say the subjects were aware the statements were false or misleading.
d
Most of the ████████ ███ ████████ ████████████ ██ █████ █████ ████████ ███████ ██ ███ ████ ████ ████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██████████ ████ ██████
This suggests subjects held their beliefs based on other credible information. Though their original basis was debunked, they had other evidence supporting their new beliefs.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
e
Most of the ████████ ████ █████████ █████████ ██ ███ ██████████ ██████████ █████ ██ █████
This doesn’t change the fact that subjects developed new beliefs based on that information, then refused to change them upon learning that information was false. It makes their behavior more surprising, but does not challenge the argument.