LSAT Explanation PT 35, S1, Q9: Researcher: The rate of psychological problems

LSAT Question Stem

The assertion that children of divorced parents have a higher rate of psychological problems than other children figures in the argument in which one of the following ways? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is an Argument Part question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is E. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

First, let's summarize and analyze the argument in the passage. The passage presents a researcher's argument about the higher rate of psychological problems among children of divorced parents. The structure of the argument is as follows:

Premise: The rate of psychological problems is higher among children of divorced parents than among other children.

Conclusion: It is just as reasonable to infer that certain behaviors that increase the likelihood of divorce—hostility, distrust, lack of empathy—are learned by children from their parents, and that it is these learned behaviors, rather than the difficulty of adjusting to divorce, that cause the children's psychological problems.

The question type is Argument Part, and it's asking us to determine how the assertion that children of divorced parents have a higher rate of psychological problems figures in the argument.

Now, let's discuss each of the answer choices in detail:

a) It is the conclusion of the argument.

This answer choice is incorrect because the conclusion of the argument is that learned behaviors, rather than the difficulty of adjusting to divorce, cause the children's psychological problems.

b) It is the claim that the argument tries to refute.

This answer choice is also incorrect. The argument does not refute the higher rate of psychological problems among children of divorced parents. Instead, it offers an alternative explanation for the cause of these problems.

c) It is offered as evidence for the claim that divorce is harmful to the children of the divorcing parents.

This answer choice is not correct because the argument does not make a claim that divorce itself is harmful to the children. Instead, the argument suggests that the learned behaviors from the parents are the cause of the children's psychological problems.

d) It is offered as evidence for the claim that certain behaviors are often responsible for divorce.

This answer choice is incorrect because the higher rate of psychological problems among children of divorced parents is not presented as evidence for the claim that certain behaviors are responsible for divorce. The argument proposes an alternative explanation for the cause of the children's psychological problems, suggesting that the learned behaviors from the parents are the cause, not the divorce itself.

e) It is cited as an established finding for which the argument proposes an explanation.

This is the correct answer. The assertion that children of divorced parents have a higher rate of psychological problems is presented as an established finding, and the argument proposes an alternative explanation for the cause of these problems, which is the learned behaviors from the parents.

In summary, the correct answer is E because the assertion about the higher rate of psychological problems among children of divorced parents is presented as an established finding, and the argument proposes an alternative explanation for the cause of these problems.