PrepTest 129

Incorrect. There's no discussion of toddlers who are unable to sort objects by color—just toddlers who have trouble switching from sorting by shape to sorting by color. The toddlers in the study very well might have been able to sort by color if asked to do that first.

Incorrect. The toddlers seemed to have "difficulty" applying the new rule, and the "almost" invariably followed the first rule. That leaves open the possibility that some of the toddlers didn't stick to the old rule and did adapt to the new one, so this answer is too strong in saying "only" adults and adolescents can adapt.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Msut Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Study - Toddlers were asked to sort objects by shape and were generally successful. They were then tasked with sorting by color and generally failed, instead sorting by color
Researchers's conclusion - This shows a failure to adapt to new rules, a result of a poorly developed PFC (don't even try to remember the real term)
PFC biology - Key to adapting to new rules; slow to mature (through adolescence)

Answer Anticipation:
There's a lot of information presented in this study and in the biology presented afterwards, so we should make sure we understand what happened in the study and any causal statements in the science, since science is mostly about causality.

Here, the toddlers were given two tasks in succession—sort by shape, then by color. When given the second task, they reverted to the first task. So it's not that they can't sort by color, it's that they couldn't shift gears. Based on this information, it's completely possible that, had they been tasked with sorting by color first, they would have done fine, and then if asked second to sort by shape, they would have kept sorting by color.

From there, we get information about the PFC, and how it allows people to adapt to new rules. It also isn't fully developed until into adolescence.

With this information in mind, let's head to the answers. The analysis there is probably going to deal more with getting the details right than any specific anticipation we can make!

Answer Explanation:
If a rule changes, a toddler very well might have trouble following it because of their insufficiently developed PFC. If that's the case, then they may break a rule because they're trying to follow an old one, not because they want to disobey or break the rule. This answer is very weak ("may not be") and is supported by the stimulus, so it's correct.

Key Takeaway:
Focusing on the strength of the stimulus compared to the answer choices is important in Must Be True questions, as the correct answer can't be stronger than the statements in the stimulus that would support it. Note that this includes things like "proportional" relationships, which are very specific and strong relationships that need to be directly established in order to be supported.

Incorrect. Upbringing is never mentioned in the stimulus, and it's never noted that the PFC is the "most" important factor in adaptive behavior (just an essential one), so this answer is too strong and out of scope.

Incorrect. While the development of the PFC is related to adaptation, there's no indication that the relationship is "proportional"—it'd need to be shown that the two develop at the same rate, not just that they're positively correlated.