Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Inductive Reasoning00:59

Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning is a form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion. It is uncertain and operates in degrees to which the conclusions are credible. As such, inductive arguments can be weak or strong, rather than valid or invalid, and conclusions can be used to formulate testable, falsifiable hypotheses.Inductive reasoning is common in descriptive science. A life scientist makes observations and records them. This data can be qualitative or...
Deductive Reasoning01:16

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning, or deduction, is the type of logic used in hypothesis-based science. In deductive reasoning, the pattern of thinking moves in the opposite direction from inductive reasoning. It uses a general principle or law to predict specific results. From these general principles, a scientist can predict specific results that remain valid as long as the general principles are correct.For example, a researcher can make specific predictions from the hypothesis "butterflies are attracted...
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
Reasoning01:30

Reasoning

Reasoning is the action of thinking about something in a logical, sensible way. It is integral to problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. Reasoning can be inductive or deductive. Reasoning involves transforming information into conclusions, which is essential for problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking.
Inductive reasoning involves deriving generalizations from specific observations. This type of reasoning helps form beliefs about the world. For example,...
Counterfactual Thinking01:19

Counterfactual Thinking

Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in human cognition.Types of...
Magical Thinking01:29

Magical Thinking

Magical thinking encompasses the belief in assumptions that defy logical reasoning yet appear intuitively convincing. It is a common psychological phenomenon that persists across various cultural and individual contexts. While these assumptions contradict empirical evidence and scientific laws, they often serve meaningful psychological roles in promoting emotional resilience and a sense of control, especially under stress or uncertainty.Thought-Action Fusion and the Law of SimilarityA key...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mistakes in Thinking about Cognitive Science and How to Reduce Them.

eNeuro·2024
Same author

Reasoning From Quantified Modal Premises.

Cognitive science·2024
Same author

Reasoning about possibilities: Modal logics, possible worlds, and mental models.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2024
Same author

Recursion in programs, thought, and language.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2021
Same author

Reasoning about properties: A computational theory.

Psychological review·2021
Same author

The probability of conditionals: A review.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2021
Same journal

Limited protective effects of multilingualism against age-related cognitive decline.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Validation of illustrated texts: Can pictures raise awareness of inconsistencies?

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

4I remember (and forget) your happy smiling face: Directed forgetting of emotionally expressive faces of in-group and out-group members.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Identity in the spotlight: Matching faces without overlapping features.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Test delay and change awareness moderate retroactive and proactive memory effects.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

The Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) illusion in short-term memory: Opposite effects of retention interval on true and false recognition.

Memory & cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
09:49

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Illusions in modal reasoning.

Y Goldvarg1, P N Johnson-Laird

  • 1Department of Psychology, Princeton University, NJ 08544, USA. goldvarg@princeton.edu

Memory & Cognition
|May 3, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People often make reasoning errors, creating illusory inferences, even when explicitly told rules apply. This study shows people neglect false premises in logical reasoning tasks, impacting conclusions.

More Related Videos

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task
06:08

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
09:49

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task
06:08

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Reasoning
  • Logic and Decision Making

Background:

  • Mental model theory posits that mental representations capture what is true, not what is false.
  • This can lead to illusory inferences, where conclusions appear compelling but are logically invalid.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the occurrence of illusory inferences in possibility reasoning.
  • To examine how explicit constraints on premise truth values affect reasoning outcomes.
  • To test the implications for current theories of human reasoning.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted using logical reasoning problems.
  • Participants were presented with premises under different truth-value constraints (e.g., 'Only one premise is true').
  • Reasoning accuracy was assessed, with some conditions including instructions to verify conclusions against constraints.

Main Results:

  • Participants demonstrated illusory inferences by neglecting the falsity of other premises when one was stated as true.
  • This occurred even when explicit instructions about premise truth values were provided.
  • Illusory inferences were reduced when participants were prompted to check conclusions against the stated constraints.

Conclusions:

  • Human reasoning about possibilities is susceptible to systematic errors (illusory inferences) due to a focus on truth rather than falsity.
  • Explicit instructions about premise truth values do not always prevent these errors.
  • Metacognitive strategies, such as checking conclusions against constraints, can mitigate these reasoning biases.