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Soru

Zorluk: ZorWeaken

Organizational Researcher: A recent study analyzed the productivity of software development teams at several major technology firms. The study found that teams utilizing 'OpenSpace'—a novel, unstructured collaborative software environment—shipped on average 20 percent more product updates per quarter than teams using traditional, highly structured project management software. Clearly, adopting OpenSpace inherently increases a team's productivity by fostering spontaneous collaboration.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the organizational researcher's argument?

  1. A
    Teams that were forced to switch from OpenSpace back to traditional software experienced a notable decline in the number of product updates shipped per quarter.
  2. B
    The study's methodology was flawed because it counted minor bug fixes as product updates, meaning the OpenSpace teams did not actually ship more substantial updates.
  3. C
    Although OpenSpace teams shipped a greater number of updates, the traditional teams successfully resolved a higher percentage of the critical security vulnerabilities assigned to them.
  4. Tech firms typically restrict the use of unstructured environments like OpenSpace to teams that have already demonstrated the highest levels of baseline productivity.Cevap
  5. E
    The technology firms that rely exclusively on traditional project management software tend to have more employees overall than the firms that encourage the use of OpenSpace.

Cevap

The correct answer is the statement indicating that firms restrict OpenSpace to teams that have already demonstrated the highest levels of baseline productivity.
The argument concludes that adopting OpenSpace causes an increase in productivity, based solely on the correlational evidence that teams currently using OpenSpace are more productive. The correct answer undermines this by introducing a severe selection bias: if only the most highly productive teams are allowed to use OpenSpace in the first place, then their high productivity was a pre-existing condition, not a result of the software. This demonstrates reverse causation.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the core argument, explicitly defining the premises and the main conclusion.
Premise: Teams using OpenSpace shipped 20% more updates than those using traditional software. Conclusion: Adopting OpenSpace increases productivity by fostering spontaneous collaboration.
Deconstructing the argument is necessary to pinpoint the logical gap between the evidence provided and the absolute claim made.
2
Analyze the logical reasoning and identify the central flaw or gap.
The argument observes a correlation between using OpenSpace and higher productivity, and leaps to the conclusion that OpenSpace actively causes the higher productivity.
Identifying the causal leap (assuming correlation implies causation) reveals how the argument is most vulnerable to counter-evidence.
3
Determine what type of information would most effectively weaken this specific causal conclusion.
A statement showing an alternative cause, indicating reverse causation, or demonstrating selection bias in the study's data would severely weaken the conclusion.
If another factor explains the 20% difference, the researcher's specific claim that the software is the cause is fundamentally undermined.
4
Evaluate the answer choices against the required weakener profile.
The correct option shows that teams were already highly productive before adopting OpenSpace, meaning high productivity caused the use of OpenSpace, not the reverse.
This directly attacks the direction of the causal relationship assumed by the researcher without contradicting the premise that OpenSpace teams are currently shipping more updates.

Anahtar Kavram

Causal Reasoning and Alternate Explanations
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Konular

Weaken

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