Hypothesizing that lullabies, characterized by their less steady beat, are universally calming to infants, Constance M. Bainbridge and colleagues played a lullaby sung in the Selk’nam language and a non-lullaby sung in the Chuukese language to a group of infants. The team found that the infants’ heart rates and pupil size both decreased more during the lullaby than during the non-lullaby. Since a decrease in heart rate is associated with relaxation, the team concluded that the lullaby relaxed the infants. However, noting that reduced heart rate can also be associated with increased attention, one critic argues that instead, the lullaby simply attracted the infants’ attention.
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Verbal·Information and Ideas·Command of Evidence
hardWhich finding, if true, would most directly weaken the critic’s claim?
A
Parents of infants in the study preferred the Selk’nam lullaby over the Chuukese non-lullaby.
B
Increased attention to a stimulus is usually accompanied by an increase in pupil size.
C
Infants in the study had no familiarity with either the Selk’nam language or the melody of the Ona lullaby.
D
More frequent blinking has also been found to be a reliable indication of attention.