LSAT (Law School Admission Test)Logical ReasoningMedium
A recent study found that employees who participate in voluntary wellness programs at work report higher job satisfaction than those who do not. The study concludes that offering wellness programs increases employee job satisfaction. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the study's conclusion?
- AEmployees who are already highly satisfied with their jobs are more likely to volunteer for wellness programs.
- BThe company's overall employee turnover rate has decreased since the introduction of the wellness programs.
- CMany employees who participated in the wellness programs also reported improvements in their physical health.
- DThe wellness programs offered by the company are identical to wellness programs offered by other companies.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Employees who are already highly satisfied with their jobs are more likely to volunteer for wellness programs.
The study concludes that wellness programs cause increased job satisfaction. Option A suggests an alternative cause for the correlation: employees with high job satisfaction are more likely to join the programs, meaning satisfaction causes participation, not vice-versa, thus weakening the original causal claim.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. A decrease in turnover rate could be a positive outcome of wellness programs, but it does not directly address the causal link between program participation and job satisfaction.
- C. Improvements in physical health could be a benefit of wellness programs, but this does not directly weaken the claim about job satisfaction.
- D. The similarity of programs to others does not weaken the claim about this company's programs and their effect on its employees.
Reverse Causation
A flaw in reasoning where an observed correlation between two variables is interpreted as A causing B, when in fact B might be causing A, or both might be caused by a third factor.
- Challenges the direction of causality
- A common type of causal flaw
- Often mistaken for a direct causal link
Memory trick: Don't just assume A causes B, sometimes B causes A!