Flawed ReasoningDiff: Easy
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: People think old age ruins your memory, but a study showed 80-year-olds are just as good at one specific card game as young people, so the memory loss theory must be wrong.
Conclusion: The common belief that memory and perception decline significantly by age 80 is false.
Reasoning: A study found that 80-year-olds and 30-year-olds performed equally well on a specific card game designed to test memory and perception.
Analysis: The author commits a massive overgeneralization by using a single, narrow data point—a card game—to debunk a broad scientific consensus about general cognitive decline. It is entirely possible to be great at a specific game while still experiencing a decline in other areas of memory or perception not tested by that game. Additionally, the study might have suffered from 'survivorship bias,' where only the sharpest 80-year-olds were capable of playing the game in the first place. Look for an answer that points out how a specific instance of success does not disprove a general trend.
Conclusion: The common belief that memory and perception decline significantly by age 80 is false.
Reasoning: A study found that 80-year-olds and 30-year-olds performed equally well on a specific card game designed to test memory and perception.
Analysis: The author commits a massive overgeneralization by using a single, narrow data point—a card game—to debunk a broad scientific consensus about general cognitive decline. It is entirely possible to be great at a specific game while still experiencing a decline in other areas of memory or perception not tested by that game. Additionally, the study might have suffered from 'survivorship bias,' where only the sharpest 80-year-olds were capable of playing the game in the first place. Look for an answer that points out how a specific instance of success does not disprove a general trend.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage8.The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it fails to consider the possibility that
Correct Answer
E
If perfect play requires only low levels of perception and memory, both groups could perform equally well even if 80-year-olds have experienced significant reductions. That undermines the inference from equal game performance to no reduction in abilities.
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