A study inference question asks what cause the researchers use to explain a difference between groups. Read the conclusion, then name what each group did and what each group showed. Ask what cause the conclusion assumes, because a claim that something helps depends on linking the result to that thing. Keep what the researchers assume separate from what they prove: finding a difference can support their reasoning without ruling out every other possible cause.
Hints
- Hint 1
Compare what each group did after lunch and how each group performed by the end of the study.
- Hint 2
Connect the performance difference to the researchers’ conclusion. What cause must they be assuming for their recommendation to follow?
Step-by-step
Connect the comparison to the conclusion
Step 1Find what the conclusion assumes
The researchers recommend taking a brief walk after lunch to boost alertness. What cause does that recommendation assume? Since the blank asks what the conclusion rests on, we need the cause the researchers assume, not a claim that they've proved every other explanation wrong.
- Step 2
Compare the groups and their results
Compare the volunteers who stayed at their desks with those who took a ten-minute campus walk. Which group performed better? The walkers completed computer tasks slightly faster than those who stayed seated and felt less drowsy, so the researchers link what each group did after lunch to how fast they finished the tasks.
- Step 3
Choose the cause the recommendation credits
Why would taking a brief walk after lunch help workers stay alert? If the change in location caused the benefit, the new place would be responsible. The study didn't test a location change on its own. The choice the act of walking instead of sitting names what the recommendation says helps, so it names the cause the researchers think led to the faster tasks. Choice C.