Factors influencing judgments of causal relations

影响因果关系判断的因素

• 批准号: 327367-2011
• 负责人: Fugelsang, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=572002
• 关键词: Factors; influencing; judgments; causal; relations

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.

学习、理解和应用因果关系知识的能力是我们日常思考和决策的核心认知能力。事实上，一个人对因果关系进行有效思考和推理的能力，对于一个人在我们生活的这个充满活力和不断变化的世界中取得成功至关重要。本研究的主要目的是揭示因果思维中信念的(1)应用、(2)表征和(3)获取背后的认知机制。具体而言，通过使用多种融合方法（例如，基本行为和功能脑成像），拟议的研究将提供重要的新见解，以了解显性（即更有意识和控制）和隐性（即更无意识和自动）认知过程如何共同促进这三个相互关联的组成部分的因果思维。在学术层面上，这项研究的发现将有助于发展更多的压缩理论，特别是因果思维，以及人类的推理和决策。重要的是，这项研究也具有重要的现实世界意义。具体来说，因果思维已被证明是在包括医学、法律和经济学在内的广泛学科中有效的人类决策的关键因素。通过深入了解内隐和外显过程在判断因果关系时如何对信念的应用、表征和获取做出贡献，我们将更有利地制定策略，限制可能对有效决策有害的先验信念的影响。