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Related Experiment Videos

The negated conditional: a litmus test for the suppositional conditional?

Simon J Handley1, Jonathan St B T Evans, Valerie A Thompson

  • 1Centre for Thinking and Language, School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom. shandley@plymouth.ac.uk

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|May 25, 2006
PubMed
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The suppositional account of conditionals suggests that negating "if p then q" implies "if p then not-q." This contrasts with mental model theory, and experiments support the suppositional view.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Logic

Background:

  • Conditional assertions are central to reasoning.
  • Two prominent theories explain conditional reasoning: the suppositional account and the mental model theory.
  • Discrepancies exist regarding the interpretation of negated conditionals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interpretation of wide-scope negation of conditional assertions.
  • To compare predictions from the suppositional account and mental model theory.
  • To provide empirical evidence for theories of conditional reasoning.

Main Methods:

  • Four experiments were conducted.
  • Participants evaluated conditional assertions and their negations.
  • The study analyzed responses based on the suppositional account and mental model theory predictions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Findings align with the suppositional account of conditionals.
  • Results contradict the predictions of the mental model theory.
  • Empirical data supports the interpretation that negating a conditional implies a new conditional statement.

Conclusions:

  • The suppositional account provides a more accurate model of how people interpret negated conditionals.
  • Mental model theory's predictions for negated conditionals are not supported by the experimental findings.
  • This research clarifies the cognitive processes underlying conditional reasoning and negation.