Pharmacist: A large study of people

Answer choices

1. A

   Wrong Flaw10% picked this

   infers from the effect of an action that the action is intended to

   This is a semi-famous flaw about the distinction between Intent vs. Result (Consequences). The action of taking melatonin had the effect of lessening insomnia's symptoms. Does the author conclude/assume that "the melatonin was taken for the purpose of reducing insomnia's symptoms"? Sure. In this study it seems like that's why they took the melatonin supplements. But we're not mad at the author for thinking this.

   10%
2. B

   Wrong Flaw17% picked this

   relies on the opinions of individuals who are likely to

   This refers to the famous Sampling flaw, in which the sample the author relies on is either too small, unrepresentative, or biased in some way. There aren't really any opinions in this study. The people took melatonin and their symptoms got better. We don't have any evidence that these 65-81 year old's offered their opinions or had any likely reason to offer biased opinions.

   17%
3. C

   Wrong Flaw1% picked this

   depends on using two different meanings for the same term to

   This refers to the famous Equivocation flaw, in which the same word (or, rarely, the same concept) is used two times but in completely different ways. There aren't any terms in this argument that drastically switch in meaning.

   1%
4. D

   Always Wrong30% picked this

   confuses an effect of a phenomenon with

   This answer choice is in the realm of the famous Causal Flaw, but this particular version has never been right. When an author looks at a correlation between X and Y and concludes that "X causes Y", she fails to consider the possibility that maybe "Y causes X". But a correct answer would have to say that, "fails to consider that the supposed effect may actually be the cause". We're not allowed to be so certain that we say, "you definitely got it wrong, author. Y causes X." We're just supposed to be saying, "It's premature to be that sure. It might be otherwise." So any time you see a Flaw answer choice saying definitely that the author has confused cause with effect, it is wrong. If an answer choice says "It's possible they confused cause with effect", consider it.

   30%
5. E

   Correct42% picked this

   relies on a sample that is

   Why this is right

   Say what? This is our best answer? None of these answers would have looked appealing to me (and they're all pulled from the Top 15 Famous Flaws), but this is the one we can most work with. What is the sample? 65-81 year old insomniacs What group does the conclusion speak for? Everyone The conclusion is just saying "the pineal gland produces less melatonin as it ages". Let's concede that the 65-81 year old insomniacs in the study really did have pineal glands that produce less melatonin than usual. Even if that's true, we don't know if the pineal gland is producing less melatonin at age 50 than it did at age 40. We don't know if 65-81 year old's without insomnia have less melatonin coming from their pineal glands than before. This conclusion is making a sweeping Volume Dial claim about all humans, and about the entire timeline of a human life. Given that the conclusion is trying to state a broad truth about the human pineal gland throughout the course of a human life, it is pretty dubious that the argument relies on evidence that only speaks to 65-81 year old insomniacs. They don't seem like a representative sample of the human experience. In writing the initial Evaluate reaction to this argument, I didn't want to pretend like I would have seen this sampling issue coming. Some people definitely will. But this is one of those Flaw questions where there's more than one possible way to complain, and so you may head to the answer choices with your perfectly legitimate complaint but find no answers there that match what you were expecting. At that point, it's time to think very flexibly and just ask yourself questions as you read each answer choice: - is this descriptively true? If not, eliminate. - if so, does it point to a problem with moving from the evidence to the conclusion?

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

   42%