Logical Reasoning

PT9 · S4 · Q2 When a study of aspirin’s ability

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When a study of aspirin’s ability to prevent heart attacks in humans yielded positive results, researchers immediately submitted those results to a medical journal, which published them six weeks later.

Conclusion

Many heart attacks that occurred during the delay in publishing the study could have been prevented if the results had been published sooner.

Evidence

A study showed positive results for aspirin's ability to prevent heart attacks in humans.

These results were submitted to a medical journal and published six weeks later.

Evaluate

This argument suggests a causal link between the publication timing and the prevention of heart attacks. The claim is that if the results had been published earlier, fewer heart attacks would have happened. To weaken this argument, we should provide information suggesting that earlier publication wouldn't have influenced the number of heart attacks, perhaps due to the delayed effect of aspirin or other independent factors.

Goal

Let's find an answer that challenges the assumption that earlier publication would have prevented heart attacks or that people could have quickly benefited from the study results.

The conclusion drawn above would be most undermined if it were true that

the medical journal’s staff worked
No Impact
The claim that the medical journal’s staff worked overtime to publish the study’s results as soon as possible does not affect whether the publication timing would have led to heart attacks being prevented. Whether they did or did not work overtime doesn't influence the assumption that earlier results would have reduced heart attacks.
2% picked this
studies of aspirin’s usefulness in
No Impact
The inconclusive studies in laboratory animals are irrelevant to the argument about human heart attack prevention. The argument is based on human study results, and animal study results do not change the assumed benefits in humans.
3% picked this
people who take aspirin regularly
No Impact
Although regular aspirin use is associated with a higher incidence of stomach ulcers, this potential side effect does not address the timing of publication or directly affect the conclusion that earlier publication could have prevented heart attacks. It might raise a concern about aspirin use but doesn't undermine the argument's specific claim.
0% picked this
the medical journal’s official policy
No Impact
This confirms that a thorough review is standard, not addressing the impact of publication timing on heart attack prevention. While it might justify a delay, it does not challenge the causality assumed in the conclusion that heart attacks could have been prevented with earlier publication.
10% picked this
Correct
a person’s risk of suffering
Why this is right
If a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack drops only after taking aspirin regularly for two years, this significantly undermines the conclusion. It suggests that even if the publication had occurred sooner, people still wouldn't have reduced their heart attack risk significantly in the short term, thus many heart attacks during the six-week delay wouldn't have been prevented by earlier aspirin use. This targets the assumption that earlier publication would have led to immediate and meaningful heart attack prevention.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
83% picked this

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