Executive: We recently ran a set of advertisements in the print versio...
(A) Bases a prediction of the intensity of a phenomenon on information about the intensity of that phenomenon's cause.
This option involves predicting the intensity of a phenomenon based on information about the intensity of its cause. The executive's reasoning does not directly align with this option because they are not predicting the intensity of a phenomenon based on the intensity of its cause. Instead, they are inferring the consumer response to print ads based on the limited response to website ads, which is not strictly related to predicting the intensity of a phenomenon based on its cause.
(B) Uses information about the typical frequency of events of a general kind to draw a conclusion about the probability of a particular event of that kind.
This option suggests using information about the typical frequency of events to make conclusions about the probability of a specific event. The executive's reasoning does not directly align with this option either because they are not drawing conclusions about the probability of a particular event based on the typical frequency of events. Instead, they are inferring the consumer response to print ads based on the observed response to website ads.
(C) Infers a statistical generalization from claims about a large number of specific instances.
This option involves inferring a statistical generalization based on claims about a large number of specific instances. The executive's reasoning does not involve inferring a statistical generalization from claims about a large number of instances. Instead, they are making a specific inference about the consumer response to print ads based on the limited response to website ads.
(D) Uses a case in which direct evidence is available to draw a conclusion about an analogous case in which direct evidence is unavailable.
This option accurately describes the executive's reasoning. They use the available information about consumer response to the ads on the website (where direct evidence is available) to draw a conclusion about the consumer response to the print ads (where direct evidence is unavailable). The executive assumes that the limited response on the website indicates that the response to the print ads is also below par, drawing an inference from the available case to the analogous case.
(E) Bases a prediction about future events on facts about recent comparable events.
This option involves making predictions about future events based on facts about recent comparable events. The executive's reasoning does not involve making predictions about future events, but rather inferring the consumer response to print ads based on the observed response to website ads.
Among the options provided, option (D) accurately captures the reasoning used by the executive. They utilize a case with direct evidence (website ads) to draw a conclusion about an analogous case with indirect evidence (print ads).