LSAT (Law School Admission Test)Logical ReasoningEasy
A recent study found that individuals who regularly consume caffeine tend to report higher levels of daily stress. Therefore, to reduce daily stress, one should eliminate caffeine from their diet.
- AIt fails to consider that individuals with high stress might be more likely to consume caffeine.
- BIt does not define what 'regularly consume caffeine' means.
- CIt assumes that caffeine is the sole cause of daily stress.
- DIt overlooks the possibility that some individuals may experience no stress regardless of caffeine intake.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. It fails to consider that individuals with high stress might be more likely to consume caffeine.
The argument concludes that eliminating caffeine will reduce stress based on a correlation. However, it fails to consider the possibility that the relationship is reversed, meaning stress causes caffeine consumption, not the other way around. This is a classic correlation-causation fallacy.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. A lack of definition for 'regularly' might weaken the study's precision but doesn't expose a fundamental flaw in the logical leap from correlation to causation.
- C. While the argument implies caffeine is a cause, it doesn't necessarily assume it's the *sole* cause. Even if other causes exist, the argument could still hold if caffeine is *a* cause. The primary flaw is the direction of causation.
- D. The argument is about reducing stress for those who experience it, not about those who experience no stress. This option is irrelevant to the core argument's flaw.
Reverse Causation
A flaw in reasoning where the arguer incorrectly assumes a causal direction between two correlated events, when the true causal relationship might be the opposite.
- Occurs when X is correlated with Y, and it's concluded X causes Y, but Y might actually cause X.
- A common type of correlation-causation fallacy.
- Requires considering alternative causal models.
Memory trick: Don't assume the arrow points the way you see it; it might be reversed!