PrepTest 119, Section 2, Question 19
In an experiment, researchers played a series of(61 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- ASeveral similar experiments(28 more words not shown)
- BNone of the(12 more words not shown)
- CAll of the(20 more words not shown)
- DIn a second(16 more words not shown)
- EOctaves, fifths, and(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Six months is enough time to hear some music. What if the babies learned what to listen for?
The babies paid more attention to certain two-note intervals. Those same intervals are common in music around the world. The researcher takes that as evidence of a biological tendency, but the prevalence in music could also supply another explanation: babies may already be familiar with those sounds from songs people play or sing around them.
What we’re looking for
We're trying to strengthen the biological explanation. I'd want to make that learning alternative less plausible. If these babies hadn't previously heard the relevant music, their response would be harder to explain as something they picked up from their surroundings. The question isn't whether babies respond this way; the experiment gives us that observation. It's why they respond this way.
Working the answers
- A
This adds evidence that the attention pattern appears in older people too. But those people have also had more time to hear music and learn its common patterns. A doesn't resolve the central competition between a biological tendency and a learned response. We get more instances of the effect without a better reason to identify its origin.
- BCorrect
None of the babies had previously been exposed to music from any culture. That rules out the obvious possibility that they had become familiar with these intervals through nursery songs or other music before the experiment. Their attention pattern therefore gives stronger support to the proposed biological tendency.
It doesn't prove that every part of the response is genetic or that all humans respond identically. The argument says “probably,” and B strengthens that explanation by removing an important competing account. The large, diverse group of human babies can supply evidence about a human predisposition; adding adults isn't as useful here as separating learning from biology.
- C
Equal exposure to many cultures doesn't eliminate learning. The passage says these intervals are common in most cultures, so music from a wide range of cultures could repeatedly expose the babies to the same intervals. That leaves the learned-familiarity explanation available.
- D
A lack of preference among colors doesn't tell us why babies pay special attention to particular musical intervals. A biological tendency concerning one kind of stimulus doesn't require a corresponding tendency concerning every other kind.
- E
More frequent repetition during the experiment could itself influence attention. This introduces another feature of the babies' experience that might help explain the response, instead of distinguishing that response as biological. It doesn't support the conclusion in the way B does.
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