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Minimally counterintuitive (MCI) concepts are memorable due to ontological violations. This study found that when controlling for inferential potential and bizarreness, MCI and bizarre concepts show similar memorability, suggesting shared cognitive mechanisms.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Psychology of Religion

Background:

  • The minimally counterintuitive (MCI) thesis posits that supernatural concepts' prevalence stems from ontological violations aiding representation and memory.
  • Existing research insufficiently clarifies the link between MCI concepts, bizarre (BIZ) concepts, and the von Restorff (VR) effect's predicted memorability advantage for non-supernatural bizarre concepts.
  • The role of inferential potential (IP) in MCI concept memorability is often vague and infrequently controlled.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To directly compare the memorability of MCI and maximally counterintuitive (MXCI) concepts against bizarre (BIZ) concepts.
  • To control for inferential potential (IP) and degree of bizarreness when assessing concept memorability.
  • To investigate whether the memorability advantage of MCI and BIZ concepts is dependent on the number of ontological violations.

Main Methods:

  • A pre-registered experimental design was employed.
  • Memorability of MCI, MXCI, and BIZ concepts was directly compared against intuitive control concepts.
  • Inferential potential (IP) and bizarreness were controlled variables.

Main Results:

  • When IP and bizarreness were controlled, the memorability of counterintuitive and BIZ concepts relative to intuitive controls was similar across concepts with one, two, or three ontological violations.
  • No significant difference in memorability was found between MCI, MXCI, and BIZ concepts under controlled conditions.
  • The number of ontological violations did not differentially impact memorability once IP and bizarreness were accounted for.

Conclusions:

  • The findings suggest that the memorability advantages associated with minimally counterintuitive (MCI) concepts and the von Restorff (VR) effect for bizarre (BIZ) concepts may arise from the same underlying cognitive mechanisms.
  • The study highlights the importance of controlling for inferential potential and bizarreness when examining the memorability of counterintuitive concepts.
  • This research contributes to understanding the cognitive underpinnings of supernatural concept representation and cultural transmission.