Sociologist: A recent study of corporate professionals reveals a strong positive correlation between the number of hours an individual spends reading fiction per month and their demonstrated empathy in collaborative settings. Therefore, the habit of reading fiction directly enhances a person's capacity for empathy.
Evaluate the following statement as true or false:
The introduction of new data showing that professionals who spend comparable hours reading exclusively non-fiction literature do not exhibit these elevated levels of empathy actively weakens the sociologist's argument.
Answer: Answer
Answer
False
The statement asserts that the new data weakens the argument. However, the new data actually strengthens the argument. The sociologist concludes that reading specifically fiction causes empathy. The new data shows that when people read non-fiction instead (the specific cause is absent), they do not show elevated empathy (the effect is absent). This eliminates the alternative explanation that the general act of reading increases empathy, thereby making the precise causal link between fiction and empathy stronger. Because the data strengthens the argument, the statement claiming it weakens the argument is strictly false.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Causal reasoning and control groups: eliminating alternative explanations strengthens a causal conclusion.