The
Probability of Conditionals
V Girotto & E N. Johnson-Laird |
We
report two studies investigating how naive reasoners evaluate the
probability that a conditional assertion is true, and the conditional
probability that the consequent of the conditional is true given
that the antecedent is true. The mental model theory predicts that
individuals should evaluate the probability of a conditional on the
basis of the mental models representing the conditional, and that
evaluations calling for a greater number of models should be more
difficult. It follows that the probability of a conditional should
differ from the corresponding conditional probability. The results
of the studies corroborated these predictions, and contrast with
alternative accounts of naive evaluations of the probability of conditionals. Key words: conditional, conditional probability, mental model, extensional reasoning |