A STUDENT sits cross-legged on a table, reading a magazine. A LEARNING COACH walks over to join her.
LEARNING COACH: Whoa! Look at you. What are you reading?
STUDENT: I’m reading a really good article on yoga. Apparently, I should try it.
LEARNING COACH: I’ve never tried but it sounds great. My friends say that it’ll solve my lower back issues which I’m not convinced about.
STUDENT: The benefits they lay out are amazing. I’m convinced.
LEARNING COACH: Is that right? Let’s hear some of their evidence.
STUDENT: Well, they say that 90% of people who do yoga, like it.
LEARNING COACH: Yeah, but those people who don’t like it probably don’t do yoga so that doesn’t seem like a representative sample. That means the group of people surveyed doesn’t represent people as a whole.
STUDENT: Okay, how about this. People who do yoga are healthier and live longer than people who don’t exercise.
LEARNING COACH: That tells us that yoga is better than no exercise but does it tell us that it’s the best form of exercise? It’s not sufficient, or enough, evidence to support the claim.
STUDENT: And the owner of a yoga studio says that yoga can transform your life.
LEARNING COACH: Oh, of course, the owner of a yoga studio would say that. They’re trying to get more customers.
STUDENT: Hmm, you’re a tough sell. Ok, it says that doing a Google search for yoga brings up more than 2 billion results.
LEARNING COACH: That hardly proves it’s a great exercise. It’s not relevant information. It doesn’t relate to the claim that yoga is the best exercise.
STUDENT: Okay, how about this? Studies show that yoga improves your strength, aerobic capacity and lung function, and it brings less risk of injury compared to other forms of exercise, like running or hockey.
LEARNING COACH: Now, that sounds like evidence that is relevant and sufficient but I do like hockey.
STUDENT: You can give it a break. You should give yoga a shot.
LEARNING COACH: Okay, I’ll give it a shot.
The LEARNING COACH moves into a yoga pose then takes a deep breath. The STUDENT copies.
LEARNING COACH: Like this?
STUDENT: Yeah.
LEARNING COACH: Okay.
Evalutating evidence, the main points.
1. The student is reading an article on yoga and believes it has amazing benefits.
2. The learning coach questions the evidence presented by the student.
3. The learning coach points out that the sample size of people who like yoga may not be representative.
4. The learning coach questions whether the evidence presented proves that yoga is the best form of exercise.
5. The learning coach shows skepticism towards the claim made by the owner of a yoga studio.
6. The learning coach dismisses the relevance of the number of Google search results for yoga.
7. The learning coach acknowledges that evidence showing yoga improves strength, aerobic capacity, lung function, and has less risk of injury is relevant and sufficient.
8. The learning coach agrees to try yoga.
Summarize.
In this conversation, a student and a learning coach discuss the benefits of yoga. The student presents various pieces of evidence supporting yoga, such as high satisfaction rates, improved health, and claims made by a yoga studio owner. However, the learning coach questions the validity of the evidence, pointing out flaws in the sample size, the lack of comparison to other forms of exercise, and the biased nature of some claims. The learning coach ultimately agrees to give yoga a try after being presented with evidence regarding its improvement of strength, aerobic capacity, lung function, and lower risk of injury compared to other exercises.
The main points regarding the evaluation of the evidence in this conversation are:
1. Representative Sample: The Learning Coach questions the validity of the claim that 90% of people who do yoga like it, pointing out that those who don't like it probably don't do yoga in the first place. This raises the issue of whether the group surveyed truly represents the entire population.
2. Comparative Analysis: The Learning Coach questions whether the evidence provided for the benefits of yoga truly supports the claim that it is the best form of exercise. While it may be better than no exercise, it may not necessarily be the best compared to other forms of exercise.
3. Source Reliability: The Learning Coach highlights the potential bias of the owner of a yoga studio in promoting the transformative power of yoga. This suggests that the source may not be entirely objective.
4. Relevance of Information: The Learning Coach dismisses the number of Google search results related to yoga, pointing out that this does not prove its effectiveness as exercise. The information provided is not directly relevant to the claim being made.
5. Appropriate Evidence: The Learning Coach acknowledges that the evidence showing the improvement in strength, aerobic capacity, lung function, and reduced risk of injury associated with yoga is relevant and sufficient. This suggests that this evidence supports the claim more effectively.
Overall, the discussion highlights the importance of critically evaluating the evidence provided to support a claim and considering factors such as sample representation, comparative analysis, source reliability, relevance of information, and the appropriateness of evidence.