PT 1 S4 Q15 : Why is E the correct choice?

jacthom328

So... the correct answer choice is E and I'm really trying to understand why that is the case. Is it because E is basically destroying the evidence which in turn would not be able to support the conclusion? If dogs, while learning how to perform tricks, are being influenced by their trainers, the dogs preference would not matter at all, because the dogs are being trained. The dogs are being taught to stray from their normal or preferred way of using their limbs. For example, if the dogs are being trained to do a trick with their left limb, this would dismantle the conclusion right? The conclusion is saying that dogs almost always prefer to use their right paw. If answer choice E is the case, then the conclusion falls apart.

I hope that all made sense. I'm just really trying to understand where I went wrong because I was stuck between choices B, C, and D.

jpelberfeld

The question stems asks for something that supports the conclusion that animals are equally right and left handed, and not, like the example of the dog gives, unequally (for example) right handed. A is wrong because the stimulus gives no connection between scratching and handedness. B is wrong because the stimulus gives no evidence linking only using front paws and handedness. C is wrong again because the stimulus does not explicitly connect sitgma to the reason people are handed. D is wrong because it supports the fact that dogs can use either side equally. E is correct because it provides an outside influence for the reason dogs usually shake with the right paw. After E is taken into account it could be the case that dogs are, without influence from trainers, equally left and right handed, but because they are influenced by trainers, they only shake with the right paw.

canihazJD

@jacthom328 said:
So... the correct answer choice is E and I'm really trying to understand why that is the case. Is it because E is basically destroying the evidence which in turn would not be able to support the conclusion? If dogs, while learning how to perform tricks, are being influenced by their trainers, the dogs preference would not matter at all, because the dogs are being trained. The dogs are being taught to stray from their normal or preferred way of using their limbs. For example, if the dogs are being trained to do a trick with their left limb, this would dismantle the conclusion right? The conclusion is saying that dogs almost always prefer to use their right paw. If answer choice E is the case, then the conclusion falls apart.

I hope that all made sense. I'm just really trying to understand where I went wrong because I was stuck between choices B, C, and D.

I think part of the problem is that you are misidentifying the conclusion and task. The conclusion of the argument is that the findings of the study are suspect. Why are they suspect? Because dogs almost always shake with their right paw.

The task given in the stem is to defend against the premise which gives us a counterexample to the study... so you want to weaken the argument (study's findings are sus) (because dogs shake with their right), specifically by defending against the premises (because dogs shake with their right).

Here's my breakdown:

Premise: It has long been noted that dogs will almost always "shake hands" with the right paw.

Conclusion: Findings that purport to show that animals are half right-handed and half left-handed are suspect.

Assumptions: dogs preference for right paw is not a trained function, dogs shaking with the right paw indicates left/right handedness.

Method: presents a counterexample

Weaken causal reasoning: "dogs are not 50/50 right/left pawed which causes them to shake with their right paw."

Why does a preference for shaking hands with the right paw not support suspicion cast on the studies findings?

Why is "well dogs always shake with their right paw" a bad attack on the study?

A. Dogs are observed to scratch with both hind legs. No effect on argument. Hind leg use gives us nothing.

B. Dogs only shake with front paw. Same as A. No effect on the counterexample.

C. Dogs aren't stigmatized for handedness. Also irrelevant, but if you wanted to force this to apply, it would strengthen. Dogs DGAF so they'll use whatever paw is their preference.

D. Dogs who lose a limb can compensate. Ok... we don't care about that. We care about what their preference was prior to losing a limb.

E. In learning to perform tricks (like shaking hands), dogs are influenced by the behavior of their trainers. This attacks the first assumption - most dogs shake with their right paw because that's what they were trained to do. Note that it doesn't help the study (it just still allows for the study's claim), but it defeats the counterexample by introducing an alternate cause.