Effects of individual differences in thinking style and cognitive ability on the interpretation of conditional statements

Abstract

The interpretation of conditional statements ’if p then q’ in the truth table task varies according to individual differences in cognitive ability and thinking style [Evans 07, Evans 13] . While higher cognitive ability is associated with a probabilistic interpretation (q given p), lower cognitive ability is linked to a conjunctive interpretation (p and q). Human reasoning is not only affected by cognitive ability but also by thinking style, which reflects the preference for intuitive or deliberative processing [Evans 13]. This study examined how cognitive ability and thinking style influence the interpretation of abstract conditionals, such as ”If the letter is B then the number is 3”, and causal conditionals on a concrete topic, such as ”If income inequality rises then public order will deteriorate”. The experimental results revealed that for abstract conditionals, higher cognitive reflection favored a probabilistic interpretation over a conjunctive one. For causal conditionals, higher cognitive reflection was related to a probabilistic or biconditional interpretation, whereas higher close-mindedness was associated with a biconditional interpretation over a probabilistic one.