Logical Reasoning

PT119 · S2 · Q19 In an experiment, researchers played

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In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals—two-note sequences—to a large, diverse group of six-month-old babies.

Conclusion (Thus)

Humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to eighths, fifths, and fourths (than other musical intervals).

Evidence

In a study, six-month old babies paid more attention to those intervals than to other intervals.

And those intervals are super common in most music systems throughout the world.

Evaluate

Whenever the author is interpreting the result of an experiment or study, we can use our Explain Curious Fact mindset.

Curious Fact .... Why did the babies pay more attention to 1/8's, 1/5's, and 1/4's than to other intervals?

Author's Explanation ... Humans have an innate disposition to pay more attention to those intervals.

We always evaluate this framework with the same two questions:

1. Could there be some Alternate Explanation for the curious fact? 2. How plausible is the Author's Explanation?

A different explanation for why the babies paid more attention to those intervals could be that they have had their ears "trained" to like those intervals by having heard music that reinforces those intervals. If these babies' parents are playing "Mozart Lullabies" for these kids, then their ears could be learning to care more about the intervals frequently found in that western classical music.

Goal

A correct answer can strengthen by ruling out an alternate explanation for why the babies paid more attention to those three intervals, or it can strengthen by giving us some fact that adds plausibility to the author's hypothesis that we're born with an innate preference for paying attention to those intervals.

19.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

  1. Several similar experiments using older

    Weak Impact

    This does strengthen somewhat, because more data points about people liking these intervals helps the plausibility of the author's hypothesis this is just a biological species-wide preference. But the older the data point gets, the more possible it is that the reason they like these intervals is because the musical system of their culture has trained their ear to like them. So the fact that six month old babies seem to care more about these intervals is still the strongest evidence we have that this preference is innate, not learned via exposure to most musical systems.

    27% picked this

  2. Correct

    None of the babies in

    Why this is right

    This rules out the alternate explanation that the babies had been exposed to "Mozart lullabies" or whatever there parents play on the car stereo, and had therefore absorbed a preferential listening filter for the intervals most common in music. If these babies have never heard any music (then child protection services should have a word with the parents, but also) they are completely immune to having been influenced by music. Thus, their preference for these intervals would seem to be an innate one, which supports the author's hypothesis.

    Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    65% picked this

  3. All of the babies in

    Weakens

    This is the opposite of (B); it supplies the Alternate Explanation for why babies reacted more to those intervals: "It's not because they're innately programmed to listen for those intervals; it's because they've been exposed to a wide variety of music, and most of that music trains the listener's ear to care about those frequently occurring intervals".

    6% picked this

  4. In a second experiment, these

    No Impact

    Whether or not babies have preference for primary colors over other colors isn't going to tell us anything clear about whether or not babies have an innate preference for 1/8's, 1/5's and 1/4's. If we thought of those intervals as "the primary colors" of music, then this would actually weaken.

    0% picked this

  5. Octaves, fifths, and fourths were

    Weakens, if anything

    This weakly suggests an Alternate Explanation for why the babies paid more attention to 1/8's, 1/5's, and 1/4's: it's not because they have an innate preference for those intervals; it's because the babies heard more repetitions of those intervals and thus better learned to hear them

    1% picked this

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