A study finds that people who eat breakfast weigh less. A critic responds that people who skip breakfast may be dieting unsuccessfully. The critic is
- A. suggesting the causal direction may be reversed or confounded
- B. attacking the researchers personally
- C. appealing to authority
- D. using circular reasoning
Explanation
The critic proposes that being overweight leads to skipping breakfast rather than the other way round, which challenges the direction of the causal arrow. Offering a plausible alternative explanation is the standard way to weaken an observational finding. It does not prove the original claim wrong, only unsupported.
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