Self-study
In response to office workers' worries about the health risks associated with using video display terminals (VDTs), researchers asked office workers to estimate both the amount of time they had spent using VDTs and how often they had suffered headaches over the previous year. █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████████ ███ █████ ████████ ████ █████████ ████ █████ ████ █████ ██████ ███████ ████ ███████ ███████████ ██ ████████ ████ ████ █████ ██████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The researchers hypothesize that video display terminals (VDTs) cause headaches. They base this hypothesis on survey data that showed that office workers who frequently used VDTs experienced headaches more often than other office workers.
Notable Assumptions
The researchers are assuming a causal relationship from the data that shows a correlation between frequent use of VDTs and frequent headaches. This means that they are assuming that the causal relationship is not reversed (in other words, that frequent headaches cause office workers to use VDTs more often). They are also assuming that some outside factor is not causing both the headaches and the frequent VDT use. Additionally, the researchers are assuming that the data from the survey of office workers are accurately reported and representative data.
14.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ██████████ ███ ████████████ ███████████
a
Few of the ██████ ███████ ████████ ████████████ ██ ███████ ██████ ████████ ██████ ███ ████ ██ █████████
(A) does not provide information that weakens the argument. (A) provides information that deals with potential treatment of headaches; the argument concerns the initial cause of headaches.
b
In their study ███ ███████████ ██████ ██ ███ ███ ███████ ██ ███████████ ███████ ██████ ████████ █████████ ███ ████ ██████████
The severity of headaches does not impact the argument. The conclusion of the argument is that VDTs cause headaches, so it does not matter how severe these headaches are.
c
Previous studies have █████ ████ ███ █████ ████ ███ ███████ ██████ ████ █████ ██ ██████ ██████████
(C) gives information about another impact of VDTs. It could be the case that VDTs cause eyestrain, which contributes to headaches. But whether or not we assume that eyestrain can lead to headaches, giving information about another result of VDT use does not weaken the argument.
d
Office workers who ███████████ ████████ █████████ ████ ████ ██████ ████ █████ ███████ ██ ████████████ ███ ████ ████ ████ █████ █████ █████
(D) weakens the argument because it provides a reason to doubt the data that the researchers used to form their conclusion. If the survey data is based on overestimation of VDT use, the argument that frequent VDT use causes headaches is weakened.
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
Office workers who █████████ ████ ████ ███████████ ███ ████ ██████ ██ ███████████ ██████ ██ ███████ ███ ███ ███ ███ █████
(E) eliminates a potential alternate hypothesis (stress) as a cause for headaches. Controlling for another factor (that could potentially impact headaches) does not weaken the argument that VDTs cause headaches, in fact, it strengthens.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).