Explicit representations in hypothetical thinking

Jonathan St. B. T. Evans; David E. Over

doi:10.1017/s0140525x99322184

Explicit representations in hypothetical thinking

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x99322184 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 763-764 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jonathan St. B. T. Evans ◽

David E. Over

Keyword(s):

Mental Models ◽

Propositional Attitudes ◽

Possible World ◽

Processing Resources ◽

Explicit Representations ◽

Implicit Systems ◽

Explicit Processing

Dienes' & Perner's proposals are discussed in relation to the distinction between explicit and implicit systems of thinking. Evans and Over (1996) propose that explicit processing resources are required for hypothetical thinking, in which mental models of possible world states are constructed. Such thinking requires representations in which the individuals' propositional attitudes including relevant beliefs and goals are made fully explicit.

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Fragmentation and Singular Propositions

10.1093/oso/9780198850670.003.0008 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 183-198

Author(s):

Robert Stalnaker

Keyword(s):

Possible Worlds ◽

Propositional Attitudes ◽

Phenomenal Experience ◽

A Posteriori ◽

Possible World ◽

Intentional States ◽

Singular Propositions ◽

Necessary A Posteriori

Two puzzles are described: a problem about necessary a posteriori truths and a problem about propositional attitudes with singular propositions as their contents. Two strategies for solving them are compared. The first is the diagonalization strategy, which distinguishes possible worlds that are compatible with what is actually expressed by a given sentential clause from possible worlds that are compatible with what would be expressed by the clause if that possible world were actual. The second strategy is the fragmentation strategy, which represents the intentional states described by sentential clauses as separate nonintegrated representational states. It is argued that these are complementary, not competing, strategies. Both play a role in the solutions to the problems. In conclusion, it is suggested that these strategies can also help to clarify a number of further problems—about self-locating attitudes, about the nature of computation, and about knowledge of phenomenal experience.

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Acquisition and Use of Mental Operators: Effects of Type of Practice

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027//1618-3169.49.2.141 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 141-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Burkhard Müller ◽

Jürgen Gehrke

Keyword(s):

Mental Models ◽

Test Performance ◽

Physical World ◽

Test Phase ◽

Acquisition Phase ◽

Practice Test ◽

Subsequent Test ◽

Use Of Knowledge

Abstract. Planning interactions with the physical world requires knowledge about operations; in short, mental operators. Abstractness of content and directionality of access are two important properties to characterize the representational units of this kind of knowledge. Combining these properties allows four classes of knowledge units to be distinguished that can be found in the literature: (a) rules, (b) mental models or schemata, (c) instances, and (d) episodes or chunks. The influence of practicing alphabet-arithmetic operators in a prognostic, diagnostic, or retrognostic way (A + 2 = ?, A? = C, or ? + 2 = C, respectively) on the use of that knowledge in a subsequent test was used to assess the importance of these dimensions. At the beginning, the retrognostic use of knowledge was worse than the prognostic use, although identical operations were involved (A + 2 = ? vs. ? - 2 = A). This disadvantage was reduced with increased practice. Test performance was best if the task and the letter pairs were the same as in the acquisition phase. Overall, the findings support theories proposing multiple representational units of mental operators. The disadvantage for the retrognosis task was recovered in the test phase, and may be evidence for the importance of the order of events independent of the order of experience.

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