PrepTest 147

Incorrect. Without connecting this to noticeable differences in singing, this answer doesn't affect the argument.

Incorrect. One might select this answer thinking that it's addressing an alternative explanation—the difference in singing was because the people knew they were being recorded. However, this only deals with "[s]ome" of the parents, and there's no indication that this knowledge would or should affect singing. It also raises an alternative instead of ruling it out.

Incorrect. The argument is about emotion affecting singing, not singing with emotion.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
Hypothesis - Emotion felt by parents when singing to their kid affects the singing
Study - Scientists recorded parents singing to their kids and to empty rooms and played it back for psychologists
Results - 80% accuracy on identifying which recordings were done with the kids in the room
Hypothesis confirmed!

Answer Anticipation:
Whenever there's a study, we should start thinking about a potential sampling flaw, and a correlation/causation flaw. Here, there are no red flags on the sample—either the parents or the psychologists—as there isn't much information presented. Additionally, while the conclusion is causal (emotion causes perceptible differences in singing), the study doesn't bring up a correlation between the two. In fact, it doesn't bring up emotion at all!

The study shows that people's singing is affected when they're singing to their child. However, that doesn't prove that it's emotion driving the change. Maybe everyone sings differently when they're singing to a child, or to anyone else for that matter. In establishing an explanation (emotion) for a phenomenon (noticeably different signing to an infant), the argument ignores other potential explanations. As such, the correct answer will likely provide evidence against an alternative, or provide evidence for the stated one.

Answer Explanation:
This answer strengthens the hypothesis by providing a causal explanation for how the relationship between emotion and noticeable changes in singing could happen. By providing that explanation, the connection is strengthened because the mechanism by which it can happen is now known.

Key Takeaway:
Even if a common error in reasoning associated with a certain question type or element in an argument isn't present, it's still worth the time to think through it. As we saw here, doing so can frequently highlight the element(s) of the argument that actually is flawed.

Incorrect. Interestingly, this answer provides an alternative explanation for the changes in singing—people thinking that their emotions are causing a change in their singing. Maybe that belief itself is the true cause. By raising an alternative, this answer undermines the hypothesis.