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- Sun May 19, 2013 11:00 pm
#34860
Complete Question Explanation
Assumption—CE. The correct answer choice is (B)
This stimulus discusses “talk therapy,” which, as its name suggests, refers to therapy in which a patient discusses his or her psychological disorder with a trained therapist. This type of therapy, we are told, causes chemical changes in the brain that seem to correspond with improvements in behavior:
The author concludes that doctors will eventually be able to bring about the same behavioral improvements by changing the brain’s neurochemistry with pharmaceuticals as with talk therapy’s lengthy sessions:
The stimulus is followed by an Assumption question, so the correct answer choice will provide an assumption that the author relies upon in reaching the conclusion that pharmacological intervention will eventually be able to take the place of talk therapy. To confirm the correct answer choice, apply the Assumption Negation Technique by logically negating, or taking away, the assumption, and noting the effects on the author’s argument; when negating a given assumption weakens an argument, it becomes clear that the argument relies upon that assumption.
Answer choice (A): This is not an assumption on which the author’s conclusion relies. To confirm this to be an incorrect answer choice, we can apply the Assumption Negation Technique, take away the assumption, and note whether the negated version weakens the author’s conclusion:
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice; the author assumes that the chemical changes are the sole cause of the noted improvements in behavior—and that talk therapy is not a necessity in that equation. To confirm this as an assumption on which the author’s argument relies, we can negate, or take away, this choice and note whether the author’s argument suffers:
Answer choice (C): The author does not assume that talk therapy is ineffective, but rather that it can be replaced by pharmacological intervention. To confirm that this is not an assumption on which the author’s argument relies, we can logically negate the assumption to see whether the argument suffers as a result. The negated version of this answer choice would be:
Answer choice (D): The assumption presented here is that if neurochemistry is associated with improved behavior, then psychology and neuroscience will eventually be indistinguishable from one another. In the stimulus, the author’s conclusion is that behavior will eventually be able to be modified through pharmacological intervention alone—but that is not the same as claiming that psychology and neuroscience will eventually be the same thing.
Answer choice (E): This choice discusses the relative expense associated with different approaches to the treatment of psychological disorders, but that issue is not mentioned or alluded to in the stimulus; this cannot be an assumption on which the author’s argument relies. To confirm this answer choice as incorrect, we can apply Assumption Negation and note whether or not the argument from the stimulus is weakened. The negated version of this answer choice is as follows:
This would have no effect on the author’s conclusion, confirming that the author’s argument does not require this choice’s assumption.
Assumption—CE. The correct answer choice is (B)
This stimulus discusses “talk therapy,” which, as its name suggests, refers to therapy in which a patient discusses his or her psychological disorder with a trained therapist. This type of therapy, we are told, causes chemical changes in the brain that seem to correspond with improvements in behavior:
- Cause
Effect
Talk Therapy 
Chemical Changes, Better Behavior
The author concludes that doctors will eventually be able to bring about the same behavioral improvements by changing the brain’s neurochemistry with pharmaceuticals as with talk therapy’s lengthy sessions:
- Cause Effect
Pharmaceuticals Chemical Changes, Better Behavior
The stimulus is followed by an Assumption question, so the correct answer choice will provide an assumption that the author relies upon in reaching the conclusion that pharmacological intervention will eventually be able to take the place of talk therapy. To confirm the correct answer choice, apply the Assumption Negation Technique by logically negating, or taking away, the assumption, and noting the effects on the author’s argument; when negating a given assumption weakens an argument, it becomes clear that the argument relies upon that assumption.
Answer choice (A): This is not an assumption on which the author’s conclusion relies. To confirm this to be an incorrect answer choice, we can apply the Assumption Negation Technique, take away the assumption, and note whether the negated version weakens the author’s conclusion:
- Not all neurochemical changes bring about psychological changes.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice; the author assumes that the chemical changes are the sole cause of the noted improvements in behavior—and that talk therapy is not a necessity in that equation. To confirm this as an assumption on which the author’s argument relies, we can negate, or take away, this choice and note whether the author’s argument suffers:
- Behavioral improvements do not occur only through chemical changes.
Answer choice (C): The author does not assume that talk therapy is ineffective, but rather that it can be replaced by pharmacological intervention. To confirm that this is not an assumption on which the author’s argument relies, we can logically negate the assumption to see whether the argument suffers as a result. The negated version of this answer choice would be:
- Talk therapy has been effective in bringing about psychological change.
Answer choice (D): The assumption presented here is that if neurochemistry is associated with improved behavior, then psychology and neuroscience will eventually be indistinguishable from one another. In the stimulus, the author’s conclusion is that behavior will eventually be able to be modified through pharmacological intervention alone—but that is not the same as claiming that psychology and neuroscience will eventually be the same thing.
Answer choice (E): This choice discusses the relative expense associated with different approaches to the treatment of psychological disorders, but that issue is not mentioned or alluded to in the stimulus; this cannot be an assumption on which the author’s argument relies. To confirm this answer choice as incorrect, we can apply Assumption Negation and note whether or not the argument from the stimulus is weakened. The negated version of this answer choice is as follows:
- Direct intervention is not likely to be a less expensive way to deal with disorders.
This would have no effect on the author’s conclusion, confirming that the author’s argument does not require this choice’s assumption.
