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Related Experiment Videos

When can we say 'if'?

Jonathan St B T Evans1, Helen Neilens, Simon J Handley

  • 1Centre for Thinking and Language, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, England, UK. jevans@plymouth.ac.uk

Cognition
|March 12, 2008
PubMed
Summary
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People assert conditional statements like "if p then q" when the link between p and q is strong, and the action

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Decision Theory

Background:

  • Conditional statements are fundamental to human reasoning and communication.
  • Understanding the conditions for their effective use is crucial for pragmatics and decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the conditions under which conditional statements ('if p then q') are asserted with conversational relevance.
  • To investigate how factors like conditional strength, action cost, and consequence benefit influence the perceived utility of conditionals.

Main Methods:

  • A decision-theoretic approach was employed, integrating hypothetical thinking theory.
  • Predictions were formulated regarding the perceived usefulness and persuasiveness of conditional statements (tips, promises, warnings, threats).

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Predictions were strongly confirmed, indicating that conditional statements are more persuasive when relevant to listener goals.
  • The strength of the conditional link, cost of action, and benefit of consequence significantly impacted perceived utility.
  • Specific factors were identified for encouraging or discouraging actions via conditional statements.

Conclusions:

  • Conditional statements are most effectively asserted when they align with the listener's goals.
  • The perceived relevance and utility of conditionals are modulated by pragmatic and decision-theoretic factors.
  • This research offers insights into the psychology of reasoning and persuasive communication.