Pansi wrote:
Many youngsters between the ages of 15-30 are suffering from limited attention span. A recent study has shown that 80% of these youngsters who have this disorder are interrupted by, the ringing or beeping of their mobile phones, once every in ten minutes. In all likelihood Robert, aged 24, has the limited attention span disorder because he attends to his mobile once every five minutes.
Find the logical flaw in the argument.
A.Fails to consider that there might be other causes for youngsters developing limited attention span disorder.
B.Does not take into account the probability that Robert might be among the 20% of the people who are not interrupted by their mobile phones once every 15 minutes
C.Uses a coincidence to establish a causal relationship between two unrelated variables
D.It assumes the converse of the relationship it established by the study to be true
E.Takes a very myopic view of limited attention span.
As is often the case with arguments from unknown sources - they are not great. The last sentence in the argument is ambiguous but I arrived at one meaning because option (D) went perfectly with it.
What does this mean:
In all likelihood Robert, aged 24, has the limited attention span disorder because he attends to his mobile once every five minutes.
- Does it mean to say that Robert attends to his phone every 5 mins so it is likely he has LAS?
- or does it mean to say it is likely that Robert's cause of LAS is his attending to his phone every 5 mins?
Many youngsters 15-30 are suffering from LAS.
80% of these who suffer from LAS are interrupted by their mobile phones once every ten minutes. (LAS is the cause - being interrupted by mobile is the effect. They keep looking at the phone every few mins because they have LAS)
If I assume the first meaning "Robert attends to his phone every 5 mins so it is likely he has LAS", then option (D) works perfectly. The study establishes LAS as the cause and getting interrupted by phone as the effect.
Robert attends to his phone and hence must have LAS does just the opposite. Attending to the phone is the cause and having LAS is the effect.
A.Fails to consider that there might be other causes for youngsters developing limited attention span disorder.
The study does not talk about the reason for LAS. The argument says that Robert attends to his phone very frequently so he may have LAS. It doesn't say that LAS cannot happen because of another reason. Even if we consider meaning 2 above that mobile phone is the reason for Robert's LAS, note that the argument says that it is likely. It is does not say that there can be no other causes.
B.Does not take into account the probability that Robert might be among the 20% of the people who are not interrupted by their mobile phones once every 15 minutes
We know Robert attends to his phone every 5 mins.
C.Uses a coincidence to establish a causal relationship between two unrelated variables
We don't know whether LAS and mobile phone are unrelated variables.
D.It assumes the converse of the relationship it established by the study to be true
Correct as discussed above.
E.Takes a very myopic view of limited attention span.
Irrelevant
Answer (D)