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Joined: 28 Apr 2020
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Location: United States
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, General Management
GPA: 3.7
In the past year, it has been observed that the incidence of anxiety e
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28 Apr 2020, 10:40
Prompt: “The following appeared in a memorandum written by the Dean of Sciences at Wilmark University to employment offices nationwide:
In the past year, it has been observed that the incidence of anxiety episodes in psychiatric patients falls dramatically after dance therapy classes. Therefore, and as based on such findings, the opening of further and significantly higher enrollment in dance therapy courses would be wise, as would the rise in music therapy courses. Consequently, the findings also mean there will be further employment in the field of therapy, which can only mean more money for the university and great success rates in pairing students with fantastic jobs in the field of therapy.
My Response:
The memo states 2 conclusions based on a flawed premise that dance therapy leads to declining incidence of anxiety episodes in psychiatric patients. The first conclusion proposes more openings in dance therapy and music therapy courses. The second conclusion projects a higher demand and employment rate in the field of therapy, more money for the university and great success rates in pairing students with jobs in therapy. This argument does not make logical sense because the premise is erred and the two conclusions are unsound.
First, the premise neglects that the observation in the past year is not a controlled experiment, so the observed result should not be used as the premise for further conclusions. There are many external factors that may lead to the decline in anxiety episodes in the past year. For example, there may be more sunlight exposure in the past year, which attracts some patients to go outside and exercise and thus increases their dopamine level and decreases their anxiety level. It could also be that the economy last year was booming so some patients with financial concerns were able to recover quickly. If these factors are not controlled, it is not sound to confirm the causal relationship and further conclude that more openings in dance therapy is wise.
Second, even if the observed result correctly states the causal effect of dance therapy, it does not guarantee a higher demand and supply in therapists and a higher employment rate. There are factors that can contain the real demand. For students, selecting classes is a question of opportunity cost. Taking dance therapy means giving up an elective to learn some other useful things. For working individuals, going to dance therapy may not be affordable. As for supply, to be a qualified therapist is not simple. Many students may want to become therapists, but they may not be capable and their talents may lie somewhere else. The Dean should be more realistic when making public statements.
Finally, proposing more openings in dance therapy should not be called “wise” just because it might help one group of people. The responsibility of the Dean is to see the bigger picture and all the possible pros and cons before making a decision on resource allocation. Will this proposal take away resources for the Chemistry students, who can instead use the resources to find a scientifically proven cure to help more psychiatric patients? Will this proposal take away resources for the disabled students? Not considering all the risks is hardly a wise thing to do.
In conclusion, this memo is flawed from bottom to top. The Dean does not recognize the difference between correlation and causation, observation and experiment, though the intention to help the patients is good.