Hey All,
So this is a PSA question. I selected answer E when timed and I didn't even circle this question to BR because I was so confident in my answer. It wasn't until I was reviewing with some others during a BR call that this error was brought to my attention. I got some great feedback from those on the call, but upon further solo reflection, I'm still not 100% confident with this.
This is how I interpret the stimulus. There are two categories of people mentioned: adults and children. There is this technique to address chronic nightmares that works on adults. Children who are nightmare prone are likely to suffer from nightmares as adults. Therefore, we need to identify these children and treat them.
The conclusion specifies efforts towards identifying nightmare-prone children. I'm thinking to myself- well, why not utilize this technique with ALL children? Why are we putting the effort into identifying
then treating these children. I chose E because it addresses this issue. I interpreted E as justifying the conclusions claim for focused effort.
The correct answer is C, which says psychologists should do everything to minimize the number of adults troubled by chronic nightmares. My issue with C is, by accepting that we must do EVERYTHING (bold statement to begin with, but we are looking for an PSA, which allows for that I guess), then shouldn't we also teach ALL children this technique? The stimulus doesn't set up the necessary condition that, if you suffer from chronic nightmares as an adult, then you did as a kid. The stimulus says it is more likely for nightmare prone children to suffer as an adult. So since this isn't a determined, 100% relationship, in order to do EVERYTHING (like C says), we should be addressing this margin of potentiality for non-nightmare prone children to develop chronic nightmares as an adult.
In short, my issue is C seems to inherently contradict the conclusion.
https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-59-section-2-question-13/
Comments
When we are doing PSA questions, do we need something which fully reaches our conclusion?
For PSA (Pseudo Sufficient Assumption) questions, I generally treat them like Sufficienr Assumption (SA) questions. We are trying to make the argument valid. (The argument won't be 100% valid bc it is a PSA).
With that as a goal, we can look at our premises.
We know that a technique for removing bad dreams and replacing them with good dreams exists.
And in our conclusion, we know we ought to help the kids.
C is the only answer choice that connects the facts (we have this technology) to what should be done (we must help these kids).
In picking C, we say we want to ensure as few adults get bad dreams as possible. The way we do that is through our conclusion (starting with the kids who have bad dreams. )
Without picking C, the random facts of adults having bad dreams doesn't support/connect to the conclusion.
Does this make sense?
Would anyone care to jump in?
I think the reason that is not particularly relevant here Is because that's it of the scope of our conclusion.
Our conclusion is focused on children who have bad dreams. We don't know/can't comment on those who don't have those dreams. For all we know, this technology might not even effect/help those kids. Or maybe even hurt them.
The argument doesn't mention them. So we just don't know.
Again. If my reasoning is off, anyone can hop in.
To your second question, no we do not. Which is why I chose E because E justifies the conclusion partially.
I think I somewhat follow you, but I'm not exactly sure how my counterexample is out of scope. The conclusion specifies certain children but makes no justification for why it specifies certain children. I'm trying to point out that lack of justification by saying, "Well, we don't really have any reason to think it couldn't be ALL the children. So unless you tell me why only teaching these children the technique constitutes 'everything we can do,' then I have to point out the gap in your reasoning." Please let me know if I am misunderstanding what you meant.
The Socratic Method is a beautiful thing.
Always a pleasure. Thank you.