LSAT 127 | Section 1 | Logical Reasoning: Q5

LR Question 5 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Researchers have found that, hours after birth, infants…

QUESTION TYPE: Most Helps to Explain

ANALYSIS: Infants look longer at faces than at ovals or scrambled faces.

We humans don’t have as many instinctive behaviors as other animals, but we do have a few. Facial recognition could be one of them. It would certainly explain the infants’ behavior.

___________

1. CORRECT. This does it. Babies are born able to recognize faces, which explains why they look longer.
2. This doesn’t explain why infants stare longer at faces but not ovals.
3. They stare at faces longer “hours after birth,” before they have had a chance to learn to associate faces with food.
4. This doesn’t explain why they seem to prefer faces. They are shown ovals soon after birth, before they’ve had a chance to look much at faces or ovals.
5. As in C, this is a behavior babies learn, eventually. It doesn’t explain their behavior “hours after birth.”

Recap: The question begins with “Researchers have found that, hours after birth, infants”. It is a Paradox question. Learn how to master LSAT Paradox questions on the LSAT Logical Reasoning question types page.