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Conditional reasoning with inducements and advice

J B Evans1, J Twyman-Musgrove

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, UK. jevans@plym.ac.uk

Cognition
|January 1, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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People make more logical inferences from conditional statements when the speaker has high control over the outcome. This applies to both inducements and advice, with more forward than backward reasoning observed.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Reasoning
  • Decision Making

Background:

  • Previous research indicates individuals draw more inferences from conditional statements framed as inducements (threats, promises) versus advice (tips, warnings).
  • The disparity in inference generation may stem from perceived speaker control over the consequent event.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of perceived speaker control in conditional reasoning.
  • To test if control, rather than the type of conditional (inducement vs. advice), explains differences in inference generation.

Main Methods:

  • An experiment was conducted using inducement and advice conditionals embedded in contexts varying speaker control (high vs. low).
  • Participants were presented with these conditionals and asked to draw inferences.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Participants generated significantly more conditional inferences when the speaker was perceived to have high control, irrespective of whether the conditional was an inducement or advice.
  • A greater number of forward (antecedent to consequent) inferences were made compared to backward inferences.

Conclusions:

  • Perceived speaker control is a critical factor influencing the number of inferences drawn from conditional statements.
  • The type of conditional (inducement vs. advice) is less important than the perceived control when generating inferences.
  • Forward inference is more prevalent than backward inference when reasoning with realistic conditional statements.