Logical Reasoning

PT119 · S4 · Q5 Psychologist: There are theories that

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Psychologist: There are theories that posit completely different causal mechanisms from those posited by Freudian psychological theory and that are more successful at predicting human behavior.

Conclusion

Freudian theories ought to be abandoned in favor of these other theories that posit different causal mechanisms from those posited by Freudian theory.

Evidence

These other theories are more successful than Freud's theory is when it comes to predicting human behavior.

Evaluate / Goal

The author wants to ditch Freud and embrace these other theories. Why? They're more successful at predicting human behavior. So the author must care about that metric a lot.

She seems to be assuming,

She is also assuming that these other theories do not have negative qualities (that Freud's theory doesn't) that would keep us from embracing them and ditching Freud.

5.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the psychologist's argument depends?

  1. Freudian theories have offered interesting

    Too Strong: shown to be false

    All we know is that Freud's theories are less successful at predicting human behavior, so we know that some Freudian predictions turn out to be false at least sometimes. But we can't say that Freud's suggestions about the causes of human behavior have been shown to be false.

    3% picked this

  2. Correct

    A psychological theory with greater

    Why this is right

    Why is the author saying, "we should prefer these other theories to Freud's theory"? Because, "these other theories are more successful at predicting human behavior". So, yes, the author is assuming that greater predictive success makes the theory preferable.

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

    78% picked this

  3. Freudian theory has had little

    Relative vs. Absolute

    We only know that Freudian theories are less successful. We don't know that they're rarely successful. A theory that only predicts right 80% of the time is less successful than a theory that predicts right 90% of the time, but we wouldn't say that the 80% theory has "little success in predicting".

    10% picked this

  4. Measuring the predictive success of

    Too Strong: measuring involves theories

    The author doesn't have to assume that measuring the predictive success necessitates considering other theories. Couldn't you just measure the predictive success of a theory by calculating what percentage of its predictions come true? Just because she says "this theory has less predictive success than these other theories" doesn't mean that predictive success was measured by looking at other theories.

    7% picked this

  5. Scientific theories become impractical if

    Too Broad: scientific theories

    This argument is only about Freud's theories vs. some other theories. The author isn't assuming anything about all scientific theories. She certainly hasn't committed to an assumption that "if you get complex enough, your theory automatically becomes impractical".

    2% picked this

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