Debiasing thinking among non-WEIRD reasoners
Cognition. 2023 Dec 2;243:105681. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105681. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHuman reasoning has been shown to be biased in a variety of situations. While most studies have focused on samples of WEIRD participants (from Western Educated Industrialized Rich and Democratic societies), the sparse non-WEIRD data on the topic suggest an even stronger propensity for biased reasoning. This could be explained by a competence issue (people lack the ability to integrate logical knowledge into their reasoning) or a performance issue (people possess the logical knowledge but do not know it is relevant). We add...
Source: Cognition - December 3, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Esther Boissin Mathilde Josserand Wim De Neys Serge Caparos Source Type: research
Ensemble coding of facial identity is robust, but may not contribute to face learning
Cognition. 2023 Dec 2;243:105668. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105668. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEnsemble coding - the rapid extraction of a perceptual average - has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying face learning. We tested this proposal across five pre-registered experiments in which four ambient images of an identity were presented in the study phase. In Experiments 1 and 2a-c, participants were asked whether a test image was in the study array; these experiments examined the robustness of ensemble coding. Experiment 1 replicated ensemble coding in an online sample; participants recognize images fro...
Source: Cognition - December 3, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Emily E Davis Claire M Matthews Catherine J Mondloch Source Type: research
Debiasing thinking among non-WEIRD reasoners
Cognition. 2023 Dec 2;243:105681. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105681. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHuman reasoning has been shown to be biased in a variety of situations. While most studies have focused on samples of WEIRD participants (from Western Educated Industrialized Rich and Democratic societies), the sparse non-WEIRD data on the topic suggest an even stronger propensity for biased reasoning. This could be explained by a competence issue (people lack the ability to integrate logical knowledge into their reasoning) or a performance issue (people possess the logical knowledge but do not know it is relevant). We add...
Source: Cognition - December 3, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Esther Boissin Mathilde Josserand Wim De Neys Serge Caparos Source Type: research
Ensemble coding of facial identity is robust, but may not contribute to face learning
Cognition. 2023 Dec 2;243:105668. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105668. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEnsemble coding - the rapid extraction of a perceptual average - has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying face learning. We tested this proposal across five pre-registered experiments in which four ambient images of an identity were presented in the study phase. In Experiments 1 and 2a-c, participants were asked whether a test image was in the study array; these experiments examined the robustness of ensemble coding. Experiment 1 replicated ensemble coding in an online sample; participants recognize images fro...
Source: Cognition - December 3, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Emily E Davis Claire M Matthews Catherine J Mondloch Source Type: research
People's thinking plans adapt to the problem they're trying to solve
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105669. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105669. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMuch of our thinking focuses on deciding what to do in situations where the space of possible options is too large to evaluate exhaustively. Previous work has found that people do this by learning the general value of different behaviors, and prioritizing thinking about high-value options in new situations. Is this good-action bias always the best strategy, or can thinking about low-value options sometimes become more beneficial? Can people adapt their thinking accordingly based on the situation? And how do we know what t...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Joan Danielle K Ongchoco Joshua Knobe Julian Jara-Ettinger Source Type: research
Language systematizes attention: How relational language enhances relational representation by guiding attention
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105671. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105671. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLanguage can affect cognition, but through what mechanism? Substantial past research has focused on how labeling can elicit categorical representation during online processing. We focus here on a particularly powerful type of language-relational language-and show that relational language can enhance relational representation in children through an embodied attention mechanism. Four-year-old children were given a color-location conjunction task, in which they were asked to encode a two-color square, split either vertically...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Lei Yuan Miriam Novack David Uttal Steven Franconeri Source Type: research
People's thinking plans adapt to the problem they're trying to solve
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105669. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105669. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMuch of our thinking focuses on deciding what to do in situations where the space of possible options is too large to evaluate exhaustively. Previous work has found that people do this by learning the general value of different behaviors, and prioritizing thinking about high-value options in new situations. Is this good-action bias always the best strategy, or can thinking about low-value options sometimes become more beneficial? Can people adapt their thinking accordingly based on the situation? And how do we know what t...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Joan Danielle K Ongchoco Joshua Knobe Julian Jara-Ettinger Source Type: research
Language systematizes attention: How relational language enhances relational representation by guiding attention
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105671. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105671. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLanguage can affect cognition, but through what mechanism? Substantial past research has focused on how labeling can elicit categorical representation during online processing. We focus here on a particularly powerful type of language-relational language-and show that relational language can enhance relational representation in children through an embodied attention mechanism. Four-year-old children were given a color-location conjunction task, in which they were asked to encode a two-color square, split either vertically...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Lei Yuan Miriam Novack David Uttal Steven Franconeri Source Type: research
People's thinking plans adapt to the problem they're trying to solve
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105669. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105669. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMuch of our thinking focuses on deciding what to do in situations where the space of possible options is too large to evaluate exhaustively. Previous work has found that people do this by learning the general value of different behaviors, and prioritizing thinking about high-value options in new situations. Is this good-action bias always the best strategy, or can thinking about low-value options sometimes become more beneficial? Can people adapt their thinking accordingly based on the situation? And how do we know what t...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Joan Danielle K Ongchoco Joshua Knobe Julian Jara-Ettinger Source Type: research
Language systematizes attention: How relational language enhances relational representation by guiding attention
Cognition. 2023 Nov 30;243:105671. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105671. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLanguage can affect cognition, but through what mechanism? Substantial past research has focused on how labeling can elicit categorical representation during online processing. We focus here on a particularly powerful type of language-relational language-and show that relational language can enhance relational representation in children through an embodied attention mechanism. Four-year-old children were given a color-location conjunction task, in which they were asked to encode a two-color square, split either vertically...
Source: Cognition - December 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Lei Yuan Miriam Novack David Uttal Steven Franconeri Source Type: research
Beat processing in newborn infants cannot be explained by statistical learning based on transition probabilities
Cognition. 2023 Nov 27;243:105670. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105670. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTNewborn infants have been shown to extract temporal regularities from sound sequences, both in the form of learning regular sequential properties, and extracting periodicity in the input, commonly referred to as a regular pulse or the 'beat'. However, these two types of regularities are often indistinguishable in isochronous sequences, as both statistical learning and beat perception can be elicited by the regular alternation of accented and unaccented sounds. Here, we manipulated the isochrony of sound sequences in order...
Source: Cognition - November 28, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: G ábor P Háden Fleur L Bouwer Henkjan Honing Istv án Winkler Source Type: research
Beat processing in newborn infants cannot be explained by statistical learning based on transition probabilities
Cognition. 2023 Nov 27;243:105670. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105670. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTNewborn infants have been shown to extract temporal regularities from sound sequences, both in the form of learning regular sequential properties, and extracting periodicity in the input, commonly referred to as a regular pulse or the 'beat'. However, these two types of regularities are often indistinguishable in isochronous sequences, as both statistical learning and beat perception can be elicited by the regular alternation of accented and unaccented sounds. Here, we manipulated the isochrony of sound sequences in order...
Source: Cognition - November 28, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: G ábor P Háden Fleur L Bouwer Henkjan Honing Istv án Winkler Source Type: research
Beat processing in newborn infants cannot be explained by statistical learning based on transition probabilities
Cognition. 2023 Nov 27;243:105670. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105670. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTNewborn infants have been shown to extract temporal regularities from sound sequences, both in the form of learning regular sequential properties, and extracting periodicity in the input, commonly referred to as a regular pulse or the 'beat'. However, these two types of regularities are often indistinguishable in isochronous sequences, as both statistical learning and beat perception can be elicited by the regular alternation of accented and unaccented sounds. Here, we manipulated the isochrony of sound sequences in order...
Source: Cognition - November 28, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: G ábor P Háden Fleur L Bouwer Henkjan Honing Istv án Winkler Source Type: research
Creating ad hoc graphical representations of number
Cognition. 2024 Jan;242:105665. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105665. Epub 2023 Nov 21.ABSTRACTThe ability to communicate about exact number is critical to many modern human practices spanning science, industry, and politics. Although some early numeral systems used 1-to-1 correspondence (e.g., 'IIII' to represent 4), most systems provide compact representations via more arbitrary conventions (e.g., '7' and 'VII'). When people are unable to rely on conventional numerals, however, what strategies do they initially use to communicate number? Across three experiments, participants used pictures to communicate about visual arr...
Source: Cognition - November 22, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Sebastian Holt Judith E Fan David Barner Source Type: research
Creating ad hoc graphical representations of number
Cognition. 2023 Nov 21;242:105665. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105665. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe ability to communicate about exact number is critical to many modern human practices spanning science, industry, and politics. Although some early numeral systems used 1-to-1 correspondence (e.g., 'IIII' to represent 4), most systems provide compact representations via more arbitrary conventions (e.g., '7' and 'VII'). When people are unable to rely on conventional numerals, however, what strategies do they initially use to communicate number? Across three experiments, participants used pictures to communicate about vi...
Source: Cognition - November 22, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Sebastian Holt Judith E Fan David Barner Source Type: research
