Causal reasoning.

Causal reasoning belongs to our most central cognitive competencies. Causal knowledge is used as the basis of predictions and diagnoses, categorization, action planning, decision making, and problem solving. Whereas philosophers have analyzed causal reasoning for many centuries, psychologists have for a long time preferred to view causal reasoning and learning as special cases of domain-general competencies, such as logical reasoning or associative learning. The present chapter gives an overview of recent research about causal reasoning. It discusses competing theories, and it contrasts domain-general accounts with theories that model causal reasoning and learning as attempts to make inferences about stable hidden causal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Accession Number: 2012-26298-046. Partial author list: First Author & Affiliation: Waldmann, Michael R.; Department of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. Release Date: 20130624. Correction Date: 20160811. Publication Type: Book (0200), Edited Book (0280). Format Covered: Print. Document Type: Chapter. Book Type: Handbook/Manual. ISBN: 0-19-537674-9, Hardcover; 978-0-19-537674-6, Hardcover. Language: English. Major Descriptor: Causality; Cognitive Processes; Cognitive Psychology; Inference. Minor Descriptor: Associationism; Decision Making; Logical Thinking; Probability; Probability Judgment; Statistical Probability; Theories. Classification: Cognitive Processes (2340). Population: Human (10). Intended Audience: Psychology: Professional & Research (PS). References Available: Y. Page Count: 20.