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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 31, 2025

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

Reasoning About Want.

Hillary Harner¹, Sangeet Khemlani²

¹Altamira Technologies Corporation.

Cognitive Science

|August 25, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

New research introduces a model-based theory for desire predicates like "want," suggesting they contrast desires with facts. This implies that what someone wants is typically not yet true, a key finding validated by seven experiments.

Keywords:

Bouletic reasoning Desire predicates Dual processes Mental models Want

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Last Updated: Aug 31, 2025

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Published on: June 12, 2020

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Published on: April 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Linguistics
Psychology

Background:

Current theories lack explanation for real-world inferences from desire predicates (e.g., 'want').
Linguistic accounts define 'want' based on beliefs and desirability, not factual contrast.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and validate a new model-based theory for understanding desire predicates.
To explain how people reason about desires in relation to facts.

Main Methods:

Developed a novel theory positing that desire predicates default to contrasting desires against facts.
Conducted seven experiments to test empirical predictions of the theory.

Main Results:

The theory predicts that 'A wants P' implies 'P is not the case' by default.
Reasoners may infer beliefs about the non-occurrence of P, without certainty.
Experimental results validated the theory's central predictions regarding desire interpretation and inference.

Conclusions:

The proposed model-based theory offers a novel explanation for desire predicate reasoning.
Findings suggest a default contrast between desires and current facts in human cognition.