Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psycholo

Question

Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psychological states has recently been uncovered in the form of a correlation between electrencephalograph patterns and characteristic moods. A study showed that participants who suffered from clinical depression exhibited less left frontal lobe activity than right, while, conversely, characteristically good-natured participants exhibited greater left lobe activity. Thus one's general disposition is a result of the activity of one's frontal lobe.

Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument, EXCEPT:

(A) Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity.

(B) Excessive sleep, a typical consequence of clinical depression, is known to suppress left lobe activity.

(C) Frontal lobe activity is not subject to variation the way general disposition is.

(D) Earlier studies indicated that frontal lobe activity and emotive states are both caused by activity in the brain's limbic system.

(E) Social interaction of the kind not engaged in by most clinically depressed people is known to stimulate left lobe activity.

bigge2win · Accepted Answer

This is a pretty good question. It's a classic causality question, where the conclusion attributes one of the events as the cause and the other as the effect. Each of the 4 incorrect answer choices uses one of the 5 methods that the Critical Reasoning Bible states as the proper ways to attack a Weaken causality question.

b) Shows that the relationship is reversed. The depression is causing the left lobe activity to react.
c) Shows that when the effect occurs, the cause does not necessarily occur. General disposition seems to vary, but frontal lobe activity does not move in tandem with it, meaning the cause does not occur all the time when the effect occurs.
d) Shows that there is an alternate cause for both events, that cause being the limbic system.
e) Similar to b, where the cause is in fact the effect here. The behaviors from the depression is what causes the left lobe activity to react.

That leaves A as the last choice that does not match any of the CR Bible's methods. "A" reinforces that doing something to the left lobe activity will cause the general disposition to react.

souvik101990 · Answer

Answer choice (A) says that the drugs prescribed to combat depression increase left lobe activity. According to answer choice (A) it's not depression (but the drugs used to combat depression) that increases left lobe activity.

You're right on about the flaw in the argument's reasoning. This argument mistakes a correlation for a cause and effect relationship. And we can we can weaken it using our standard approaches.

1. provide an alternative cause
2. provide an example of the presumed cause without the presumed effect
3. provide an example of the presumed effect without the presumed cause

Answer choices (B)-(E) each do one of the above and so can be eliminated.

(B) provides an alternative cause for the lobe activity
(C) provides an example of the occurrence of the presumed cause without the presumed effect
(D) provides an alternative cause for the lobe activity
(E) provides an alternative cause for the lobe activity

AbeinOhio · Answer

The question can be restated as "What Strengthen's the argument"

If drugs are stimulating the frontal left lobe and still the results show lower than normal activity there, this indicates clinically depressed patients even have lower frontal left lobe activity in the absence of the drugs.

Sarang · Answer

Looking at the question and answer choices, it does not appear to get finished within 1.3 minutes.

jlgdr · Answer

Between A and E anyone want to elaborate a little bit further and get some kudos from me?

Cheers

mejia401 · Answer

Causal/Explanation Conclusion: control activity of one's frontal lobe -> control one's general disposition

(a) Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity. 
 Combating depression requires increasing left lobe activity. OR Increase (control) left lobe -> (control) combat clinical depression.

(b) Excessive sleep, a typical consequence of clinical depression, is known to suppress left lobe activity. 
 Clinical depression -> excessive sleep -> reduces left lobe activity. The argument is reversed (control depression to control lobe activity), thus weakening the argument.

Interchanging the cause and effect is rarely valid in critical reasoning, especially with deductive arguments. Actually, for deductive arguments, interchanging invalidates the argument altogether. As for inductive arguments, if the cause and the effect are switched, then the conclusion is inherently weakened.

mejia401 · Answer

(e) Social interaction of the kind not engaged in by most clinically depressed people is known to stimulate left lobe activity.

If the conclusion is: 
control activity of one's frontal lobe -> control one's general disposition 
Statement E is:
No social interactions for depressed ppl -> no stimulation of left lobe activity in depressed ppl
Then,
Perhaps, left lobe activity controls disposition.

However,
If the conclusion is: 
control activity of one's frontal lobe -> control one's general disposition 
And, opposite statement of E is:
Social interactions for depressed ppl -> stimulates left lobe activity in depressed ppl
Then,
 Do we know for sure that depressed people will no longer be depressed after stimulating the left lobe? What if after left lobe stimulation they are still depressed? 
Since we're still not sure and I don't think this result can be inferred, thus, E is neutral.

JusTLucK04 · Answer

Lets go through the arguments again:  Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psychological states has recently been uncovered in the form of a correlation between electrencephalograph patterns and characteristic moods. A study showed that participants  who suffered from clinical depression exhibited less left frontal lobe activity than right , while, conversely,  characteristically good-natured participants exhibited greater left lobe activity . Thus one's general disposition is a result of the activity of one's frontal lobe.

Now,

who suffered from clinical depression exhibited less left frontal lobe activity than right -->

Break It Down to: 1. Had clinical depression
 2. Exhibited less lobe activity

characteristically good-natured participants exhibited greater left lobe activity 
Break It Down: 1. Had Good Nature 
 2. Exhibited greater lobe activity

No where in each of these two premises has it been explicitly stated that which is the cause & which is the effect

Now we look at the options- 
Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument, EXCEPT:

(a) Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity.
(b) Excessive sleep, a typical consequence of clinical depression, is known to suppress left lobe activity.

As we don't know which is the cause & which the effect, both can be considered to be correct

PiyushK · Answer

Information provided in first clause is not of any use.
Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psychological states has recently been uncovered in the form of a correlation between electrencephalograph patterns and characteristic moods.

Remaining information make some sense to solve this question.
Premise 1 :
A study showed that participants who suffered from clinical depression exhibited less left frontal lobe activity than right, (left frontal lobe vs right frontal lobe)
Premise 2: 
conversely, characteristically good-natured participants exhibited greater left lobe activity. (left lobe vs right lobe)
Conclusion:
Thus one's general disposition is a result of the activity of one's frontal lobe. Conclusion is based on overall frontal lobe activity.

lobes are super-set > left frontal lobe and right frontal lobe or frontal lobes are sub-set.
Lets try to find relationship between all these lobes:

This question is bit difficult because relation between Premise 1 and 2 is not concrete it is just based on one of the many assumptions.
Thus we should use negation to validate our assumption.
In a good nurtured person author says overall left lobe activity is higher than right lobe. Thus, I can assume  left frontal lobe  is highly active in good natured person compared to his right frontal lobe. If I negate it and I say left frontal lobe is not highly active than Premise 1 fails. With this assumption we can relate Premise 1 and Premise 2 and set a relation between them.

Prethinking: Anything which says by improving the activity of left frontal lobe a person can become good nature-rd.

I used POE to get the answer because this question is not that straightforward to allow above mentioned analysis in less than 2 min.

(a) Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity. (Suspect)
(b) Excessive sleep, a typical consequence of clinical depression, is known to suppress left lobe activity. ( this option is not a strengthener, it is just describing one symptom and not telling how it affects one's disposition) 
(c) Frontal lobe activity is not subject to variation the way general disposition is. ( Weakener : rejecting the relationship between disposition and Frontal lobe activity )
(d) Earlier studies indicated that frontal lobe activity and emotive states are both caused by activity in the brain's limbic system. (Out of context, Only a neurologist can help us to understand how limbic system and disposition are related)
(e) Social interaction of the kind not engaged in by most clinically depressed people is known to stimulate left lobe activity. ( In depressed people something is responsible to stimulate left lobe activity, we do not know whether it decrease or increase the activity or how disposition is related)

After 3 min of brain exercise:
(a) Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity. (Suspect)
Why a doctor prescribes drugs to a clinically depressed patient ? Ans : to help him or her out to improve his or her mental condition or I can say to improve his or her disposition. Thus, by improving one's left lobe activity a doctor can improve one's disposition.

DavidTutorexamPAL · Answer

Let's break down our passage.
1. There is evidence connecting physiology and pysch states (correlation)
2. study showed: depression --> less left lobe, good natured --> more left lobe
3. (therefore) activity of lobe --> general disposition

As we're explicitly asked to go over all of the answers, we'll do so (instead of thinking for ourselves first).
This is an Alternative approach.

A. Many drugs prescribed to combat clinical depression act by causing increased left lobe activity.  This strengthens the claim - if drugs increase activity and we still saw a lower activity, the connection between depression and left lobe is stronger than that observed 
B. Excessive sleep, a typical consequence of clinical depression, is known to suppress left lobe activity.  This gives an alternative explanation for lower left lobe, so weakens the depression-->activity link 
C. Frontal lobe activity is not subject to variation the way general disposition is.  This directly weakens the conclusion (this is the weakest 'weakener' as the studies show there is a difference, implying that that difference is one of degree) 
D. Earlier studies indicated that frontal lobe activity and emotive states are both caused by activity in the brain’s limbic activity.  This gives an alternative reason causing both activity and emotion 
E. Social interaction of the kind not engaged in by most clinically depressed people is known to stimulate left lobe activity.  Similarly to (B), this gives an alternative explanation for lower left lobe activity

(A) is our answer.

AbhishekP220108 · Answer

Can you please suggest from where I can get more such except type questions for practice?. That would be great if there is any thread or post from where I can get such type of questions.

Bunuel · Answer

We do not have a special tag for that. However, you can check the Weaken/Strengthen questions, and some of them will be of the except type.

agrasan · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB

(C) Frontal lobe activity is not subject to variation the way general disposition is

Could you please explain why (C) is incorrect? My reasoning is if I interpret it correctly, it just explains a proportional relationship i.e., if there is a 100 units change in general disposition then it is only 10 units change in frontal lobe activity. It doesn't seem to weaken the conclusion and ahs  No Impact  because there is still an equation between the two.

OR the correct understanding of this option is like  Y changes even if X remains unchanged ?

Please let me know what I am thinking wrong here.

bb · Answer

You can also use advanced search and search only CR Questions with the word except (though sometimes it catches other instances of that word) https://gmatclub.com/forum/search.php?k ... mit=Search

bb · Answer

Honestly, I loved A so much that I ignored C). A) fit the pattern I was looking for - it actually strengthened the argument. C kind of meh, but you are right, it could actually be a contender since it does not have to be a strengthener, just not a weakener.

However, C) tells us there is not much of a relationship between disposition and lobe, which sort of weakens (though no destroys the argument). Even weakening a little is enough, esp if you already have a contender. If the activity is observed in those cases, how come there is no relationship. C) casts a doubt that maybe it is just a coincidence.

Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psycholo

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Further evidence of a connection between brain physiology and psycholo

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