PT149 S1 Q20 ExplanationComputer modeling of reasoning tasks

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Unrelated to Goal8% picked this

   The degree of difficulty of constructing computer models of cognitive tasks is a good index of the degree of

   Since this answer has no language that would allow you to use this rule and judge which thing we understand better, it's of no use to us.

   8%
2. B

   Weak Evidence/Conclusion Match23% picked this

   The better we understand a computer’s ability to perform a type of task, the better we will understand our

   This is tempting. It's definitely sounding related to our conclusion language. This rule would allow us to say "we understand our ability to perform task X better than we understand our ability to perform task Y". The conclusion was not about tasks as much as capabilities / capacities, so it's actually not a great match for the conclusion. Also, the evidence half of this answer is talking about how well we "understand a computer's ability to perform a task". That doesn't really match with our evidence, which never once mentions understanding. Our evidence was only saying "modeling X on a computer is much easier", not "we understand how computers are able to perform X better".

   23%
3. C

   Unrelated to Goal1% picked this

   A computer’s defeat of a chess champion should count as an indication that the computer

   Since this answer has no language that would allow you to use this rule and judge which thing we understand better, it's of no use to us.

   1%
4. D

   Correct65% picked this

   The less difficult it is to construct a computer model of a process the better

   Why this is right

   This is similar to (B), but it has a better match for our Evidence language and our Conclusion language. The argument was thinking Since computer modeling analytical tasks is far easier than computer modeling sensory tasks, we can conclude that we understand analytical processes better than sensory processes. This answer is saying, "The easier it is to construct computer models of X, the better we understand X", so this gives us a great bridge from the launching pad in the first sentence to the landing zone in the conclusion.

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

   65%
5. E

   Unrelated to Goal3% picked this

   We should not underestimate the usefulness of computer modeling to the study

   Since this answer has no language that would allow you to use this rule and judge which thing we understand better, it's of no use to us.

   3%