Psychologist: The media in America believes that its role is to inform

Question

Psychologist: The media in America believes that its role is to inform the public about current events, whether positive or negative, and to maintain an objective stance in the presentation. It is clear from watching any news program, however, that the media is far from objective in electing the news that it will report. A recent report in a major psychological journal has indicated that Americans feel more stress after watching a news program than before it. When graphic images accompany a negative story, the stress level gets even higher. When the news program presents a positive story, however, the stress level goes down. The media should begin focusing on presenting more positive stories in order to provide an uplifting contrast to the negativity.

Which of the following best describes the flaw in the psychologist’s reasoning?

(A) The psychologist unfairly attacks the media for failing to provide objective news, but without offering any proof for the accusations.

(B) The psychologist accuses the media of subjectivity in selecting stories but then suggests that the media continue to be subjective by selecting different stories.

(C) The psychologist mistakenly confuses two separate arguments and attempts to combine them into a single argument.

(D) The psychologist does not indicate clearly enough that the public responds well to positive stories and fails to prove that a balance of stories will be of benefit.

(E) The psychologist does not distinguish among types of negativity in news stories and does not indicate clearly what it is that causes the most stress in viewers.

sj296 · Answer

The psychologist is accusing the media of failing to provide objective news but at the end of the paragraph, he suggests that media should select the stories that reduce the stress level i.e. media should not maintain an objective stance.

(A) The psychologist unfairly attacks the media for failing to provide objective news, but without offering any proof for the accusations............  Proof of accusation is not in question here. We have to find an issue in the psychologist's argument.

(B) The psychologist accuses the media of subjectivity in selecting stories but then suggests that the media continue to be subjective by selecting different stories....................  This looks fine

(C) The psychologist mistakenly confuses two separate arguments and attempts to combine them into a single argument...........  This is not the case

(D) The psychologist does not indicate clearly enough that the public responds well to positive stories and fails to prove that a balance of stories will be of benefit........................................... Out of scope

(E) The psychologist does not distinguish among types of negativity in news stories and does not indicate clearly what it is that causes the most stress in viewers............................ Out of scope

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Question presents a statement from a psychologist concerning the issue of news and the psychological response among Americans at watching the news. The psychologist argues that “Americans feel more stress after watching a news program than before it,” largely because the news programs focus on the negative stories over the positive stories. In addition, the psychologist goes on to indicate that the graphic images in the news stories contribute to higher levels of stress. As a result, the psychologist concludes that the media should provide a balance to negative stories by showing positive stories as well, since studies show that stress levels are reduced after people view positive stories. The question then asks the student to select an answer choice that best describes the flaw in the psychologist’s reasoning.

In order to answer this question correctly, the student needs to sort through the psychologist’s flow of thought, because the passage might not seem to hold a clear example of flawed reasoning at first. But there is a problem embedded in this argument that can be identified. The psychologist argues: (1) the American media is expected to report news objectively whether it is positive or negative, (2) the media is clearly not objective in selecting its stories due to the obvious rate of negative stories that are covered, (3) Americans experience more stress after watching negative news stories, particularly negative news stories that contain graphic images, and (4) the media should select news stories to provide a better balance between the negative stories and the positive stories.

From this, it becomes clear that the psychologist begins by criticizing news programs for denying objectivity in the way that stories are selected, but concludes by suggesting that news programs subjectively select a balance of positive and negative. In other words, the psychologist demands objectivity but then suggests subjectivity. The correct answer choice will reflect this.

The Correct Answer:

B Answer choice (B) accurately explains that the psychologist accuses the media of subjectivity but then goes on to suggest that subjectivity is necessary as long as it is a different kind of subjectivity. Answer choice (B) is correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A The psychologist attacks the media for the selection of negative stories, but there is no clear attack on the reporting within the stories, nor does the psychologist claim that the media reports negative stories in a subjective way. Instead, the psychologist is focused on the subjectivity of selection, so answer choice (A) cannot be correct.

C The psychologist does not have two separate arguments that are combined. Instead, the psychologist has a single argument: the news media is too subjective in selecting negative stories and needs to find a balance between positive and negative. That is one complete argument, so answer choice (C) cannot be correct.

D The psychologist does claim, “When the news program presents a positive story, however, the stress level goes down.” This is a sufficient counter to the previous statement, “A recent report in a major psychological journal has indicated that Americans feel more stress after watching a news program than before it. When graphic images accompany a negative story, the stress level gets even higher.” Because answer choice (D) does not indicate why this would not be a good indication of the benefits of positive stories, it is too vague to be correct. Answer choice (D) may be eliminated.

E Answer choice (E) is difficult, because there is nothing in the passage to counter it, and yet there is nothing in the passage to suggest that it is clearly true. The latter is the key to the problem with the answer choice. Because there is no context for why the psychologist would need to distinguish among negative stories, there is no reason, based on the information provided in the psychologist’s statement, to believe that this is necessary. Had the psychologist referenced different types of negative stories, answer choice (E) might be valid. With no mention of this element, however, answer choice (E) is largely irrelevant and may be eliminated.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Psychologist: The media in America believes that its role is to inform

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Psychologist: The media in America believes that its role is to inform

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