#15 - In a study, parents were asked to rate each television

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Resolve the Paradox-X. The correct answer choice is (C)

The study indicates that watching violence on TV and being disciplined in school are correlated in school-age children. The four incorrect answer choices will successfully explain the correlation, typically by showing that one event has caused another. The correct answer choice will either make the issue even more confusing, or have no explanatory effect.

Answer choice (A): If watching violence on TV leads to boredom with schoolwork, then no wonder children who watch violent progams are more frequently disciplined in school. Because this answer choice establishes a causal link between witnessing violence on TV and being disciplined in school, the statistical relationship described in the stimulus is thereby explained and the answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (B): If parents who watch violent programs with their children end up legitimizing antisocial behavior, it isn’t surprising that their children are more frequently disciplined in school. Because this answer choice establishes a causal link between watching violence on TV and being disciplined in school, it explains the statistical relationship described in the stimulus and is therefore incorrect.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The statistical relationship described in the stimulus has to do with how children, not parents, react to violence on TV. The parents’ reaction is inconsequential and has no explanatory function in the stimulus.

Answer choice (D): If children mimic what they learn from watching violent programs on TV, little wonder they are more likely to be disciplined in school. Because this answer choice establishes a causal link between witnessing violence on TV and being disciplined in school, the statistical relationship described in the stimulus is thereby explained and the answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (E): While this answer choice presents a correlation that seems irrelevant at first, we need to examine its implications a bit more closely. If parents who do not allow their children to watch violence on TV are also careful about other aspects of their children’s behavior, it is reasonable to suspect that such children are better behaved and less likely to be disciplined than other children. By comparison, children who watch more violence on TV would be more likely to be disciplined.

Because this answer choice establishes a causal link between not witnessing violence on TV and not being disciplined in school, the statistical relationship is thereby explained and the answer choice is incorrect.

[Cflores17]

I chose (B) over (C) because, with (C), one might assume that becoming less sensitive to violent films would likely result in leniency on discipline. As for (B), if they regard antisocial behavior as legitimate, aren't they more likely to act in a way that is unacceptable?

please reply to my reply so I could get notified, thank you.

[Amber Thomas]

Hi Cflores 17!

Our stimulus sets up the following premise: children who watch programs with greater amounts of violence are more likely to be disciplined than are children who do not.

Our question asks us which answer choice does NOT help to explain the statistical relationship.

Answer Choice B states: "when parents watch violent programs on television with their children, those children become more likely to regard antisocial behavior as legitimate."

So, when children watch programs with violence, they are more likely to regard antisocial behavior as legitimate. We can imply that this would then lead them to act in an antisocial way in school, this leading them to be disciplined more often than children who do not watch violent programs. This DOES help to explain our statistical relationship, therefore, it is not the correct answer choice.

Answer Choice C states: Parents who rated their children’s television viewing low on violence had become desensitized to the violence on television by watching too much of it.

This does NOT help to explain our statistical relationship. We can assume based off of this relationship that violent television leads children to behave poorly, thereby requiring more discipline than children who do not watch violent television. So, it wouldn't make sense that children with a lower rating are behaving better if they are still, in fact, watching violent television.

I hope this helps!