Researcher: In an experiment, 500 families were given a medical self-help book, and 500 similar families were not. Ov...

Victoria on May 25, 2019

Hi @Aidyn-Carlson,

D is correct as the researcher argues that because the families who received the medical self-help book visited the doctor less than families who didn't and because improved family health leads to fewer visits to the doctor, that having a medical self-help book improves overall family health. In making this argument, the researcher fails to recognize that having a medical self-help book could contribute to the reduced number of visits to the doctor and improved family health could contribute to the reduced number of visits to the doctor without having the medical self-help book cause improved family health or vice versa.

C is incorrect because it suggests that the researcher ignores the possibility that having a medical self-help book could cause improved family health and other different effects. This is irrelevant as the researcher's reasoning would remain questionable even if they claimed that having a medical self-help book causally contributed to improved family health and additional effects.

Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.

@chris_va on August 30, 2019

Could you explain how "state of affairs" is translated. I seemed to get lost in the choices that used that phrase. I'm only used to seeing used for relations between two parties. Thanks, having a moment today haha.

Victoria on August 30, 2019

Hi @@chris_va

The phrase "state of affairs" refers to a situation and its circumstances. For example, "we cannot allow the present state of affairs to continue" is the same as saying "we cannot allow the present situation to continue."

So, the correct answer (D) means: "two different states of affairs [(1) having a medical self-help book and (2) being in good health] could each causally contribute to the same effect [fewer visits to doctors] even though neither causally contributes to the other [i.e. having a medical self-help book does not cause one to be in good health nor does being in good health cause one to have a medical self-help book]."

Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any further questions.

DevinFuller on September 7 at 11:19PM

and why not E?

DevinFuller on September 7 at 11:19PM

I answered my own question - never mind