Abstract
Evidence is presented that implicates two factors in deductive reasoning about causality. The factors are alternative causes and disabling conditions (factors that prevent effects from occurring in the presence of viable causes). A causal analysis is presented in which these factors impact on judgments concerning causal necessity and sufficiency, which in turn determine deductive entailment relations. In Experiment 1, these factors were found to impact causal deductive judgments more strongly than did logical form. In Experiment 2, causal deductive judgments were found to vary as a function of familiarity with a particular causal relationship: The more familiar the causal relationship, the less willing reasoners were to accept conclusions based on them.
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This project was supported by BRSG S07RR07002 awarded by the Biomedical Research Support Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, and by a Social and Behavioral Sciences Small Grant award (University of Arizona)
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Cummins, D.D. Naive theories and causal deduction. Memory & Cognition 23, 646–658 (1995). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197265
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197265