# 21 - In a study, pairs of trained dogs were placed side by

[Dave Killoran]

If the answer to C is yes, then you can cast doubt on the conclusion, which to me is the beat kind of weakening of an argument. What's wrong with this thought process? Would bring in a confounding variable, which would render their conclusion obsolete in its entirety.

I disagree with your assessment, but I don't score the test so let's instead look at it from a different perspective: if the test makers were here, how would they respond to your evaluation?

[ashnicng]

Hello! I just wanted to double check that I'm eliminating answer choices with the correct reasoning.

A) Eliminate because the argument focuses on why a dog started to disobey rather than whether the other dog was more likely to obey to begin with (especially since at the beginning, both dogs were obedient)
C) Eliminate because doesn't make it more or less likely whether unfairness led to disobedience.
D) Eliminate for same reason as A; just because a rewarded dog is more likely to be obedient doesn't clarify the reason why an unrewarded dog is less likely to be obedient (could still be either unfairness or lack of reward)
E) Eliminate because number of repetitions doesn't make it more or less likely whether unfairness led to disobedience.

Thanks so much!

[Adam Tyson]

Five stars, rock star status, ashnicng! Great analysis! And B is correct because it looks into the possibility of the effect without the cause vs cause is absent/effect is absent. Well done!

[rubytahan]

Hello!

Can anyone advise whether "over time" has anything to do with the correct answer choice. I was looking for an alternative factor as you listed, and found the answer choice B didnt really make sense when putting it against the fact that "overtime, the dogs who went unrewarded began to disobey the command."

Thanks!
Ruby

[Adam Tyson]

It does, rubytahan, because there has to be some passage of time during which the dogs' behavior changes can be observed! Beginning to disobey over time means it didn't happen right at the beginning, so it appears to be a cumulative effect of the dog learning something over the course of the study. That's why answers like Answer A do nothing, since they do not address the change in behavior over time.