Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-495rp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-15T02:22:34.916Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Importance of Pragmatic Aspects in Conditional Reasoning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Mª Dolores Valiña ,
Gloria Seoane ,
Mª José Ferraces  and
Montserrat Martín
Mª Dolores Valiña*
Affiliation:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Gloria Seoane
Affiliation:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Mª José Ferraces
Affiliation:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Montserrat Martín
Affiliation:
University of Santiago de Compostela
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Mª Dolores Valiña, Dto. de Psicología Social y Básica. Área de Básica. Facultad de Psicología.Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. Campus Universitario Sur. 15706 Santiago de Compostela (Spain). FAX: 981 521581. E-mail: ps101951@uscmail.usc.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The importance of pragmatic aspects in conditional reasoning was assessed in the performance of 54 subjects (26 female and 28 male; mean age 17.6 years) on 48 conditional inference problems, using a 3 × 2 × 4 design, with repeated measurements. The independent variables were probability of empirical frequency in the real world, type of conditional rule, and scenario availability. Number of correct responses and subjects' certainty about the correctness of their responses were the dependent variables. The results showed: a) the scenario availability is not sufficient in itself to explain differences in performance, but it does affect the subjects' degree of confidence in their conclusions; b) there is an interaction between probability of empirical frequency in the real world and type of conditional rule on correct performance. The results were contrasted with the predictions made by the mental models theory and its revised version proposed by Evans (1993). These findings support the semantic theories of conditional reasoning.

En este trabajo hemos estudiado la importancia de factores pragmáticos en razonamiento condicional, analizando la ejecución de 54 sujetos (26 mujeres - 28 hombres, cuya media de edad era de 17.6 años). Planteamos un diseño 3 × 2 × 4 de medidas repetidas en los tres factores. Las variables manipuladas fueron: la relación empírica existente en el mundo, el tipo de regla y la accesibilidad del escenario. Se utilizaron como variables dependientes el número de respuestas correctas y la seguridad de los sujetos en la corrección de sus juicios. Los resultados han puesto de manifiesto que: a) la accesibilidad del escenario no es en sí misma suficiente para explicar las diferencias en la ejecución, pero afecta al grado de seguridad de los sujetos en sus conclusiones; b) hay una interacción entre probabilidad de frecuencia empírica en el mundo real y el tipo de norma lógica sobre la ejecución correcta. Contrastamos los resultados con las predicciones de la teoría de modelos mentales y con la versión revisada (Evans, 1993). Los datos apoyan las teorías semánticas del razonamiento condicional.

Keywords

pragmatic reasoningconditional reasoningempirical relation between antecedent and consequentavailability of the scenariorazonamiento pragmáticorazonamiento condicionalrelación empírica entre antecedente y consecuenteaccesibilidad del escenario
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 2 , May 1999 , pp. 20 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Byrne, R.M.J., & Johnson-Laird, P.N. (1992). The spontaneous use of propositional connectives. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45A, 89–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, P.W., & Holyoak, K.J. (1985). Pragmatic reasoning schemas. Cognitive Psychology, 17, 391–416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheng, P.W., & Holyoak, K.J. (1989). On the natural selection of reasoning theories. Cognition, 33, 285–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheng, P.W., Holyoak, K.J., Nisbett, R.E., & Oliver, L.M. (1986). Pragmatic versus syntactic approaches to training deductive reasoning. Cognitive Psychology, 18, 293–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cummins, D.D., Lubart, T., Alksnis, O., & Rist, R. (1991). Conditional reasoning and causation. Memory and Cognition, 19, 274–282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evans, J.St.B.T. (1982). The Psychology of deductive reasoning. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Evans, J.St.B.T. (1984). Heuristic and analytic processes in reasoning. British Journal of Psychology, 75, 451–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, J.St.B.T. (1989). Bias in human reasoning: Causes and consequences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Evans, J.St.B.T. (1993). The mental model theory of conditional reasoning: Critical appraisal and revision. Cognition, 48, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evans, J.St.B.T. (1995). Relevance and reasoning. In Newstead, S.E. & Evans, St. J.B.T. (Eds.), Perspectives on thinking and reasoning. Essays in honour of Peter Wason (pp. 147–171). Hove: UK: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Evans, J.St.B.T., Newstead, S.E., & Byrne, R.M.J. (1993). Human reasoning: The psychology of deduction. Hove, UK: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Holyoak, K.J., & Cheng, P.W. (1995a). Pragmatic reasoning about human voluntary action: Evidence for Wason's selection task. In Newstead, S.E. & Evans, St. J.B.T. (Eds.), Perspectives on thinking and reasoning. Essays in honour of Peter Wason (pp. 67–89). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Holyoak, K.J., & Cheng, P.W. (1995b). Pragmatic reasoning with a point of view. Thinking and Reasoning, 1, 289–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson-Laird, P.N. (1983). Mental Models. Towards a cognitive science of language, inference and consciousness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Johnson-Laird, P.N., & Byrne, R.M.J. (1991). Deduction. Hove, UK: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Johnson-Laird, P.N., & Byrne, R.M.J. (1992). Modal reasoning, models, and Manktelow and Over. Cognition, 43, 173–182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson-Laird, P.N., & Byrne, R.M.J. (1994). Models, necessity, and the search for counterexamples. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 17, 775–777.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manktelow, K.I., & Over, D.E. (1991). Social roles and utilities in reasonig with deontic conditionals. Cognition, 39, 85–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martín, M. (1996). Una exploración del razonamiento cotidiano: importancia del conocimiento en inferencia condicional. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.Google Scholar
Martín, M., & Valiña, M.D. (1993). Procesos de inferencia condicional. Una aproximación al razonamiento cotidiano. Santiago de Compostela: Tórculo.Google Scholar
Newstead, S.E., Ellis, M.C., Evans, J.St.B.T., & Dennis, I. (1997). Conditional reasoning with realistic material. Thinking and Reasoning, 3, 49–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollard, P. (1982). Human reasoning: Some possible effects of availability. Cognition, 12, 65–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pollard, P., & Evans, J.St.B.T. (1987). Content and context effects in reasoning. American Journal of Psychology, 100, 41–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seoane, G., & Valiña, M.D. (1988). Efecto del contenido y microgénesis de la tarea en inferencia condicional. Cognitiva, 1, 217–298.Google Scholar
Stevenson, R.J., & Over, D.E (1995). Deduction from uncertain premises. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Experimental Psychology, 48A, 613–643.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valiña, M.D. (1985). Una exploración del razonamiento cotidiano con lenguaje natural: silogismos con cuantificadores probabilísticos. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of La Laguna, Spain.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D. (1988). Efecto del contenido y microgénesis de la tarea en razonamiento silogístico con cuantificadores probabilísticos: un estudio cronométrico. Cognitiva, 1, 199–212.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D. (in press). Razonamiento pragmático. In Carretero, M. (Ed.). Psicología del Pensamiento. Madrid: Aique.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Ferraces, M.J., & Martín, M. (1995). Tarea de selección de Wason: un estudio de las diferencias individuales. Psicothema, 7, 641–653.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Ferraces, M.J., & Martín, M. (1996a, August). Wason's selection task: Content effect, instruction effect, or both? Paper presented at The Third International Conference on Thinking. Symposium: Pragmatic factors in reasoning and decision making. British Psychological Society. Cognitive Psychology Section, London.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Ferraces, M.J., & Martín, M. (1996b, September). Pragmatic factors in conditional reasoning. Paper presented at The Ninth Conference of European Society for Cognitive Psychology, Würzburg, Germany.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Ferraces, M.J., & Martín, M. (1998). La tarea de selección de Wason: ¿efecto del contenido, efecto de las instrucciones o ambos? Estudios de Psicología, 60, 15–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Gehring, S., Ferraces, M.J., & Fernández-Rey, J. (1992, September). Conditional reasoning: Scenario or context effects. Paper presented at The Fifth Conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology, Paris.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., Seoane, G., Martín, M., Fernández-Rey, J., & Ferraces, M.J. (1992, September). The role of content and context in pragmatic reasoning. Paper presented at The Fifth Conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology, Paris.Google Scholar
Valiña, M.D., & de Vega, M. (1988). Un estudio experimental del razonamiento cotidiano en tareas de silogismos: una aproximación pragmática. Cognitiva, 1, 33–62.Google Scholar
Wason, P.C. (1966). Reasoning. In Foss, B.M. (Ed.), New horizons in Psychology (pp. 135–151). Hardsmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Wason, P.C. (1968). Reasoning about a rule. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20, 273–281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed