How the brain processes causal inferences in text

Article Abstract:

Author Abstract: Theoretical models of text processing, such as the construction-integration framework, pose fundamental questions about causal inference making that are not easily addressed by behavioral studies. In particular, a common result is that causal relatedness has a different effect on text reading times than on memory for the text: Whereas reading times increase linearly as causal relatedness decreases, memory for the text is best for events that are related by a moderate degree of causal relatedness and is poorer for events with low and high relatedness. Our functional magnetic resonance imaging study of the processing of two-sentence passages that varied in their degree of causal relatedness suggests that the inference process can be analyzed into two components, generation and integration, that are subserved by two large-scale cortical networks (a reasoning system in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right-hemisphere language areas). These two cortical networks, which are distinguishable from the classical left-hemisphere language areas, approximately correspond to the two functional relations observed in the behavioral results.

Causation, Causation (Philosophy), Text processing

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Spontaneous discounting of availability in frequency judgment tasks

Article Abstract:

Discounting is a causal-reasoning phenomenon in which increasing confidence in the likelihood of a particular cause decreases confidence in the likelihood of all other causes. This article provides evidence that individuals apply discounting principles to making causal attributions about internal cognitive states. In particular, the three studies reported show that individuals will fail to use the availability heuristic in frequency estimations when salient causal explanations for availability exist. Experiment 1 shows that fame is used as a cue for discounting in estimates of surname frequency. Experiment 2 demonstrates that individuals discount the availability of their own last name. Experiment 3, which used individuals' initials in a letter-frequency estimation task, demonstrates that simple priming of alternative causal models leads to discounting of availability. Discounting of cognitive states can occur spontaneously, even when alternative causal models are never explicitly provided.

Cognitive psychology, Attribution (Social psychology), Attribution (Psychology)

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Comparing the tortoise and the hare: gender differences and experience in dynamic spatial reasoning tasks

Article Abstract:

The influence of gender differences indynamic spatial reasoning tasks was investigated on 164 male and female subjects. Gender differences were noted in the assessment of relative speed of moving objects and distance from a target destination. The same was observed with analysis of the effects of practice and feedback on assessment of relativevelocity. These findings proved that determination of experience, learning rates and absolute performance levels were necessary for a fair evaluation of dynamic spatial abilities of both sexes.

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