Self-study
Carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve disorder that affects the hands and wrists, is often caused by repetitive motions such as typing on a keyboard. █ ██████ █████ ██ ██████ ███████ █████ █████ █████ █████ ███ ██ ███████ ███████ ██ ███████ ███████ █████████ ███ █████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███ ██████ █████ █████ ███ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████ ██████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ ███ ████████ ███ ████ ████████
"Surprising" Phenomenon
Among workers who do similar amounts of typing, why do those who report the least control over their own work have a significantly higher risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome as do those who report the most control?
Objective
The correct answer should help differentiate feeling the least control (or reporting the least control) from feeling the most control (or reporting the most control). This difference should provide a potential theory that could lead to those feeling the least control (or reporting the least control) to develop carpal tunnel syndrome at a higher rate.
15.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ███ ███████ █████████
a
Office workers who ████ ███ ████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ██ █████████████ ████ ██████ ████ ██ █████ ███ ████ ███ █████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ █████
The stimulus already controlled for different amounts of typing: “among those who do similar amounts of typing...”
b
Feeling a lack ██ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███ ███ █████ █████████ ██████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███████████ ██ █████ ██████████
The stimulus told us carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve disorder. If feeling lack of control can make one more susceptible to nerve disorders, this could account for why those reporting the least control get carpal tunnel syndrome (a nerve disorder) at a higher rate than those reporting the most control.
c
The keyboards on █████ ██████ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████████ ████ ███ █████ ██ █████████ ████ ███████ ███ ███████████ ██ ██████ ██████ █████████
This doesn’t differentiate workers reporting the least control from those reporting the most. We have no reason to think workers reporting the least control are more likely to use the keyboards described in this answer.
d
Among office workers ███ ██████ ███ ██████████ ███ ████ ██ ██████ ██████ ████████ ██ ████ ██████ ███ █████ ███ ████ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ █████
The stimulus already controls for typing amount. Whether workers rarely use keyboards or use keyboards a lot, among those who do similar amounts of typing, people reporting the least control get carpal tunnel syndrome at a higher rate. Why? This answer doesn’t provide a theory.
e
Office workers who ████ ███ ████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███████ ██████████ ███████ █████ ████ ██████ ████ █████ ████ ██ ██████ ███████ ████ ███ █████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ █████
This makes the discrepancy more difficult to explain. If those who have the most control perform repetitive motions more than those who have the last control, we’d expect those who report feeling the most control to get carpal tunnel syndrome at a higher rate.