The neurons of the brain react less when a subject is trying to recognize patterns than when the subject is doing other kinds of reasoning. The energy expenditure of the subjects' brains increases when a design that completes the initially recognized pattern is determined. People who are better at abstract pattern recognition have more energy-efficient neural connections. The task of completing a given design is more capably performed by athletes, whose energy expenditure is lower when they are at rest.
An experiment was done in which human subjects recognize a pattern within a matrix of abstract designs and then select another design that completes that pattern. The results of the experiment were surprising. The lowest expenditure of energy in neurons in the brain was found in those subjects who performed most successfully in the experiments.
Which of the following hypotheses best accounts for the findings of the experiment?