LSAT 123 – Section 3 – Question 13

LSAT 123 - Section 3 - Question 13

June 2007

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Target time: 1:51

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Question QuickView	Type	Tags	Answer Choices	Curve	Question Difficulty	Psg/Game/S Difficulty	Explanation
PT123 S3 Q13	+LR	Strengthen +Streng Link Assumption +LinkA	A 3% 142 B 47% 154 C 19% 147 D 26% 149 E 4% 144	139 152 165	+Medium	144.044 +SubsectionEasier

J.Y.’s explanation

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Therapist: Cognitive psychotherapy focuses on changing a patient’s conscious beliefs. Thus, cognitive psychotherapy is likely to be more effective at helping patients overcome psychological problems than are forms of psychotherapy that focus on changing unconscious beliefs and desires, since only conscious beliefs are under the patient’s direct conscious control.

Summarize Argument

Cognitive therapy, which changes a patient’s conscious beliefs, is more effective than therapies that change unconscious beliefs. This is because patients only have control over their conscious beliefs.

Notable Assumptions

The therapist assumes that a patient’s ability to control their beliefs influences the effectiveness of therapeutic treatment.

Psychological problems are frequently caused by unconscious beliefs that could be changed with the aid of psychotherapy.

This weakens the argument. It suggests that forms of therapy which focus on changing unconscious beliefs could be effective.

It is difficult for any form of psychotherapy to be effective without focusing on mental states that are under the patient’s direct conscious control.

This strengthens the argument. It provides support for the therapist’s assumption that a patient’s ability to control their beliefs influences the effectiveness of therapeutic treatment.

Cognitive psychotherapy is the only form of psychotherapy that focuses primarily on changing the patient’s conscious beliefs.

This does not affect the argument. The therapist does not argue that cognitive therapy is better than all other forms of therapy, but that cognitive therapy is better than therapies that focus on changing unconscious beliefs.

No form of psychotherapy that focuses on changing the patient’s unconscious beliefs and desires can be effective unless it also helps change beliefs that are under the patient’s direct conscious control.

This does not affect the argument. (D) says that to be effective, therapies that focus on changing unconscious beliefs must change conscious beliefs too, but the therapist doesn’t argue about whether other therapies are effective—only that cognitive therapy is more effective.

All of a patient’s conscious beliefs are under the patient’s conscious control, but other psychological states cannot be controlled effectively without the aid of psychotherapy.

This does not affect the argument. (E) discusses psychotherapy broadly, but doesn’t distinguish between cognitive psychotherapy and other forms, which is essential to the argument.

LSAT 123 – Section 3 – Question 13

LSAT 123 - Section 3 - Question 13

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J.Y.’s explanation

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LSAT PrepTest 123 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Reading Comprehension

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