LSAT 4, Logical Reasoning II, Q17, LSATHacks

LR Question 17 Explanation, by LSATHacks

QUESTION TEXT: Dr. Ladlow, a research psychologist, has convincingly…

QUESTION TYPE: Must be True

CONCLUSION: Anson concludes that Ladlow is irresponsible.

REASONING: Ladlow’s evidence cannot definitively prove his theory correct. Responsible psychiatrists know that there is always a chance new theories will prove them incorrect.

ANALYSIS: Anson makes a good argument. Scientific theories can never be “irrefutably” proven correct.

___________

1. Ladlow’s predictions could be correct even if his theory (explanation) is wrong. And we don’t even know if his theory is wrong.
2. CORRECT. This is extremely specific to Ladlow’s situation, but it does have to be true. No responsible psychologist can ever conclude that their theory is correct.
3. A responsible psychologist could develop a correct theoretical explanation. However, they can never responsibly conclude that they won’t be proven wrong. In other words their explanations are correct even though the psychologist is never certain they are correct.
4. Psychologists can make predictions, as long as they don’t ignore the possibility that their theories are wrong.
5. That is only a necessary condition. There may be other things a psychologist must do in order to be considered responsible.

Recap: The question begins with “Dr Ladlow, a research psychologist, has convincingly”. It is a Must be True question. Learn how to master LSAT MBT questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.

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