It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following gen...
stormbeelerSeptember 15, 2015
A more right
Is A a better answer than B because B assumes without justification that the lawyers do this on purpose. I couldn't really conclude 100 % that A was supported I just picked it drawing a connectkon that it never mentions lawyers knowing anything about human cognition other than them knowing about fact finding. Thanks
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Answer choice (A) can be found in the last paragraph.
The author concludes that "judges employ only a limited and primitive concept of jury inferential error....primitive because it ignores the research and conclusions of psychologists in favor of notions about human cognition held by lawyers," (lines 54-61). So the author is comparing notions of human cognition held by lawyers v. psychologists and states that judges employ a primitive concept of jury inferential error because they are in favor of the notions held by lawyers. Well, if psychologists are being compared to lawyers, then they do not hold primitive notions, in other words they hold notions that are the opposite of primitive, i.e. sophisticated.
Thus, answer choice (A) is the correct answer: "They have a less sophisticated understanding of human cognition than do psychologists."
Answer choice (B) is incorrect for the exact reason you mentioned. The author never indicates that lawyers OFTEN present complex or voluminous information MERELY IN ORDER TO confuse a jury. We know that this occurs, but we do not know whether lawyers do this purposefully.
Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
GLEENovember 14, 2018
Why can't the answer be E?
MehranNovember 20, 2018
Hi @GLEE. There just isn't textual support for answer choice (E) - especially to the extent (E) says lawyers are "unrealistic" about jurors' ability "to ascertain the truth." By contrast, for the reasons explained above, answer choice (A) is textually supported - the author of the passage says that judges have a "primitive" view of jury inferential error, and goes on to explain that "primitive" means "ignores the research and conclusions of psychologists in favor of notions about human cognition held by lawyers." (Lines 54-61). Does that help?
