Factors influencing judgments of causal relations

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The ability to learn, comprehend, and apply knowledge about causal relations is a core cognitive faculty underlying much of our daily thinking and decision-making. Indeed, one's ability to think and reason effectively about causal relations is fundamental to an individual's success in the dynamic and ever changing world in which we live. The primary objectives of the proposed research are to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying the (1) application, (2) representation, and (3) acquisition of beliefs in causal thinking. Specifically, through the use of multiple converging methodologies (e.g., basic behavioural and functional brain imaging), the proposed research will provide important new insights into how explicit (i.e., more conscious and controlled) and implicit (i.e., more unconscious and automatic) cognitive processes jointly contribute to causal thinking in each of these three interrelated components. At an academic level, the findings from this research will aid in the development of more compressive theories of causal thinking in particular, and human reasoning and decision-making in general. Importantly, this research also has significant real world implications. Specifically, causal thinking has been shown to be a key element underlying effective human decision-making in a wide range of disciplines, including Medicine, Law, and Economics. By gaining insights into how implicit and explicit processes contribute to the application, representation, and acquisition of beliefs when making judgments about causal relations, we will be more advantageously positioned to develop strategies that limit the impact of prior beliefs when they could be deleterious to effective decision-making.