Information and IdeasMediumSupporting a claim with reaction-time data
Information and Ideas practice question
Mean reaction times (milliseconds)
Condition | Mean time
Fully rested | 312
After 1 night of 5-hour sleep | 360
After 3 nights of 5-hour sleep | 398
The researchers concluded that the cost of short sleep compounds night over night. ____
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the researchers' conclusion?
- A. Participants averaged 48 milliseconds slower after one night of short sleep, and 86 milliseconds slower after three.Correct
- B. All participants completed the reaction-time task.
- C. The rested group's times varied from participant to participant.
- D. Reaction times were measured in milliseconds throughout the study.
Answer: A. Participants averaged 48 milliseconds slower after one night of short sleep, and 86 milliseconds slower after three.
The conclusion is that deficits deepen as short sleep accumulates; the growing gap (48 ms, then 86 ms) shows exactly that worsening.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. All participants completed the reaction-time task.
- Completion rates say nothing about slowing.
- C. The rested group's times varied from participant to participant.
- Within-group variation does not address the accumulating deficit.
- D. Reaction times were measured in milliseconds throughout the study.
- The unit of measurement supports no conclusion.
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