Critical Reasoning

In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals - two-note sequences - to a large diverse group of six-month old babies. They found that the babies paid significantly more attention when the intervals were perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths than otherwise. These intervals are prevalent in the musical systems of most cultures around the world. Thus, humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to those intervals than to others.

Which one of the following, if true most strengthens the argument?

A) Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.

B) None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture.

C) All of the babies in the experiment had been exposed to music drawn equally from a wide variety of cultures around the world.

D) In a second experiment, these same babies showed no clear tendency to notice primary colors more than other colors.

E) Octaves, fifths, and fourths were played more frequently during the experiment than other musical intervals were.

IMO: B

imo B

IMO: B. We need to show that this is a trait inherent in human beings.

What is the OA?

Regards.

What is the OA?

Regards.

The argument claims that humans, regardless of their respective culture, are born predisposed to certain musical intervals. The evidence: six-month old babies have a predilection for 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. We are looking to strengthen this claim.

One way of looking at a STRENGTHEN question is that we want an answer choice that "plugs up a hole" in the argument.

With our six-month babies, one could counter that the babies had already been exposed to music from their respective culture. After all, the prompt says that all music contains these intervals. So if babies have been exposed to music, then they've already developed a fondness for these intervals before the experiment.

Only (B) diffuses this objection by stating, "None of these babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture."

Therefore the answer is clearly (B) .

I dont think B is the answer , say if the adults and grown up children dont have any exposure to music will still show the same result , so we cannot consider this answer

if we look at option which shows childrens from varied parts of world , this shows diversity that even location doesn't matter in reacting to music.

chris@magoosh wrote:The argument claims that humans, regardless of their respective culture, are born predisposed to certain musical intervals. The evidence: six-month old babies have a predilection for 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. We are looking to strengthen this claim.

One way of looking at a STRENGTHEN question is that we want an answer choice that "plugs up a hole" in the argument.

With our six-month babies, one could counter that the babies had already been exposed to music from their respective culture. After all, the prompt says that all music contains these intervals. So if babies have been exposed to music, then they've already developed a fondness for these intervals before the experiment.

Only (B) diffuses this objection by stating, "None of these babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture."

Therefore the answer is clearly (B) .

Hi Chris,

Please help me understand the problem with A

Regards,
Vishal

vishal.pathak wrote:

chris@magoosh wrote:The argument claims that humans, regardless of their respective culture, are born predisposed to certain musical intervals. The evidence: six-month old babies have a predilection for 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. We are looking to strengthen this claim.

One way of looking at a STRENGTHEN question is that we want an answer choice that "plugs up a hole" in the argument.

With our six-month babies, one could counter that the babies had already been exposed to music from their respective culture. After all, the prompt says that all music contains these intervals. So if babies have been exposed to music, then they've already developed a fondness for these intervals before the experiment.

Only (B) diffuses this objection by stating, "None of these babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture."

Therefore the answer is clearly (B) .

Hi Chris,

Please help me understand the problem with A

Regards,
Vishal

Adults and grown up babies are out of scope.. IRRELEVANT

goelmaya wrote:

vishal.pathak wrote:

chris@magoosh wrote:The argument claims that humans, regardless of their respective culture, are born predisposed to certain musical intervals. The evidence: six-month old babies have a predilection for 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. We are looking to strengthen this claim.

One way of looking at a STRENGTHEN question is that we want an answer choice that "plugs up a hole" in the argument.

With our six-month babies, one could counter that the babies had already been exposed to music from their respective culture. After all, the prompt says that all music contains these intervals. So if babies have been exposed to music, then they've already developed a fondness for these intervals before the experiment.

Only (B) diffuses this objection by stating, "None of these babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture."

Therefore the answer is clearly (B) .

Hi Chris,

Please help me understand the problem with A

Regards,
Vishal

Adults and grown up babies are out of scope.. IRRELEVANT

No they are not. Stimulus says that test was done on babies and the response was positive. It then claims that humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to those intervals than to others.

There is a logic gap between premise and conclusion. Test was conducted on a smaller group(Babies) and the result is applied to a larger group (Humans). Option A fills this logic gap by saying that the other part of the larger group also has a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.

PRETHINKING: experiment with baby is correct for all human
look for similar thing: A matchs

A is clearly a strengthener.

we have 2 strengthener inhere, A and B.

goelmaya wrote:

vishal.pathak wrote:

chris@magoosh wrote:The argument claims that humans, regardless of their respective culture, are born predisposed to certain musical intervals. The evidence: six-month old babies have a predilection for 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. We are looking to strengthen this claim.

One way of looking at a STRENGTHEN question is that we want an answer choice that "plugs up a hole" in the argument.

With our six-month babies, one could counter that the babies had already been exposed to music from their respective culture. After all, the prompt says that all music contains these intervals. So if babies have been exposed to music, then they've already developed a fondness for these intervals before the experiment.

Only (B) diffuses this objection by stating, "None of these babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture."

Therefore the answer is clearly (B) .

Hi Chris,

Please help me understand the problem with A

Regards,
Vishal

Adults and grown up babies are out of scope.. IRRELEVANT

It says about humans..it is very much relevant

GmatKiss wrote:In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals - two-note sequences - to a large diverse group of six-month old babies. They found that the babies paid significantly more attention when the intervals were perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths than otherwise. These intervals are prevalent in the musical systems of most cultures around the world. Thus, humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to those intervals than to others.

Which one of the following, if true most strengthens the argument?

A) Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.

B) None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture.

C) All of the babies in the experiment had been exposed to music drawn equally from a wide variety of cultures around the world.

D) In a second experiment, these same babies showed no clear tendency to notice primary colors more than other colors.

E) Octaves, fifths, and fourths were played more frequently during the experiment than other musical intervals were.

IMO: B

Clearly A is the correct option.
Premise talks about the results of an experiment whole sample set is 6-month old babies
Conclusion talks about humans (babies, older babies and adults).

As far as i know the only way you can strengthen this jump from babies to humans is by saying that same results were observed with Humans (adults and older babies).

IMO A whats the OA?

A biological predisposition -- in the context of psychology -- indicates that a person, because of his/her genetic makeup, is more prone to the development of certain symptoms ...

In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals - two-note sequences - to a large diverse group of six-month old babies. They found that the babies paid significantly more attention when the intervals were perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths than otherwise. These intervals are prevalent in the musical systems of most cultures around the world. Thus, humans probably have a biological predisposition to pay more attention to those intervals than to others.

Which one of the following, if true most strengthens the argument?

A) Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.

B) None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any cultur

Conclusion - humans probably have a biological predisposition (inclination) to pay more attention to those intervals (perfect octaves, fifths, or fourths ) than to others

Assumption - The babies weren't used to this kind of music before


A) Several similar experiments using older children and adults found that these subjects, too, had a general tendency to pay more attention to octaves, fifths, and fourths than to other musical intervals.
>> what if the adults and older children have been listening to this kind of music and hence they pay more attention.

B) None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture
>> this shows that humans have biological predisposition
IMO B

why not C ?

because the babies were exposed to a wide variety of music, but still had a predisposition to certain intervals...