Which one of the following statements, if true, would most seriously undermine the author's suggestion about the use ...

Irina August 14, 2019

@Yuer-Wang,

The author argues that since empirical psychological research can predict inferential errors a person or a group is likely to make under a set of given circumstances, it could provide the courts with a guide to evaluating the effect of the evidence on the reliability of the jury's inferential processes (lines 41-48). (B) tells us that this behavioral research only reliably applies to individual decision-making, not to a collective decision making as in the case of a jury, thus authors assertion that the research is useful for predicting errors "a person OR a group" is likely to make is unwarranted. "Do not hold for decisions made by groups" means that current predictive models fail to reliably predict the behavior of a group as a whole as opposed to an individual person.

Does this make sense?

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Ashley123 September 14, 2021

@Irina,
Since the passage says these errors apply to a group or an individual and the passage does not say that the decisions have to be done as a group (outside knowledge), why can't we rule B out? Why is E not correct? The passage says that the research suggests people tend to commit these influential errors under certain predictable circumstances. Since E directly contradicts this, why would it not more seriously undermine the author's suggestion about the use of current psych research in the courtroom? Maybe I'm just overthinking this but I would love some clarity.