[Cognitive process and the five types of solution at contradictory situation consisting of two propositions]

The purpose of this paper was to examine the cognitive process and solution at contradictory situation consisting of two propositions. In the first investigation, subjects (N = 50) were asked to rate one hundred contradictory situations in terms of three cognitive aspects: contradictoriness, solvability, ordinariness. In the second investigation, five types of solution were proposed by combination of negative-positive orientation and past-future orientation, and subjects (N = 149) were asked to assign the solutions obtained in the pre-investigation to one of following five types, that is, past-oriented negative, past-oriented positive 1, 2, future-oriented negative, future-oriented positive. The obtained results suggested the plausibility of five types of solution, and the cognitive process in contradictory situation was discussed.