[2] It overlaps with psychology, philosophy, linguistics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, logic, and probability theory.
[3] The ease with which people make conditional inferences is affected by context, as demonstrated in the well-known selection task developed by Peter Wason.
Participants are better able to test a conditional in an ecologically relevant context, e.g., if the envelope is sealed then it must have a 50 cent stamp on it compared to one that contains symbolic content, e.g., if the letter is a vowel then the number is even.
Interpretations of the suppression effect are controversial[5][6] Other investigations of propositional inference examine how people think about disjunctive alternatives, e.g., A or else B, and how they reason about negation, e.g., It is not the case that A and B.
[10] One view is that people rely on a mental logic consisting of formal (abstract or syntactic) inference rules similar to those developed by logicians in the propositional calculus.
[14][15] Research on mental models and reasoning has led to the suggestion that people are rational in principle but err in practice.
For instance, studies have found that people's reasoning is often influenced by their prior beliefs, which can be modeled using Bayesian probability theory.
Moreover, connectionist approaches to reasoning have also gained attention, which focus on the neural network models that can learn from data and generalize to new situations.
Sperber and Mercier offer one attempt to resolve the apparent paradox that the confirmation bias is so strong despite the function of reasoning naively appearing to be to come to veridical conclusions about the world.
Recent research has suggested that early experiences and social interactions play a critical role in the development of reasoning abilities.
Furthermore, research has highlighted the importance of parental interaction and cognitive stimulation in the development of children's reasoning abilities.
Additionally, studies have suggested that cultural factors, such as educational practices and the emphasis on critical thinking, can also influence the development of reasoning skills across different populations.
He argues that goal directed reasoning can be classified based on the problem space involved in a solution, citing Allen Newell and Herbert A.
[29] Deduction helps people understand why their predictions are wrong and indicates that their prior knowledge or beliefs are off track.
They used this test to assess why "syllogistic reasoning performance is based on an interplay between a conscious and effortful evaluation of logicality and an intuitive appreciation of the believability of the conclusions".
Analogical reasoning is particularly useful in scientific discovery and problem-solving tasks, as it can help generate hypotheses, create new theories, and develop innovative solutions.
[37] Antonio Damasio suggests that somatic markers, certain memories that can cause a strong bodily reaction, act as a way to guide decision making as well.
[38] He also argues that the orbitofrontal cortex – located at the base of the frontal lobe, just above the eyes – is crucial in the use of somatic markers, because it is the part in the brain that allows people to interpret emotion.
Researchers suggest affective forecasting, the ability to predict one's own emotions, is poor because people tend to overestimate how much they will regret their errors.
Language can be used to convey different levels of politeness, power, and intention, which can all affect how people interpret and respond to messages.
Similarly, if someone uses sarcasm or irony, it can be difficult for the listener to discern their true meaning, leading to misinterpretation and potentially poor decision making.
Overall, decision making is a complex process that involves many factors, including emotion, risk, pragmatics, and cultural background.