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{
    "pk": 25418,
    "title": "A model-based theory of omissive causation",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "Current psychological accounts of causal representation and\nreasoning do not capture phenomena related to causation by\nomission (e.g., “The absence of breathing causes death”),\nwith one exception (Wolff, Barbey, & Hausknecht, 2010). We\ndescribe a novel theory of omissive causation that posits that\npeople build discrete mental simulations – mental models – of\ncausal relations (Goldvarg & Johnson-Laird 2001). The\ntheory states that causes by omission refer to a set of\ntemporally ordered models of possibilities. Reasoners tend to\nfocus on only one of those models, i.e., the possibility in\nwhich breathing does not occur and death subsequently does.\nLikewise, the theory posits that reasoners distinguish between\nomission in the context of causation, enabling conditions, and\nprevention. We describe some initial predictions made by the\nmodel-based account, contrast it with an alternative\npsychological theory based on the transmission of causal\nforces, and set out directions for further research.",
    "language": "eng",
    "license": {
        "name": "",
        "short_name": "",
        "text": null,
        "url": ""
    },
    "keywords": [
        {
            "word": "omissions; absences; causal reasoning; mental\nmodels; negative events; double prevention"
        }
    ],
    "section": "Papers",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5b35z6h4",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Paul",
            "middle_name": "F",
            "last_name": "Bello",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "U.S. Naval Research Laboratory",
            "department": ""
        },
        {
            "first_name": "Sangeet",
            "middle_name": "S",
            "last_name": "Khemlani",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "U.S. Naval Research Laboratory",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": null,
    "date_accepted": null,
    "date_published": "2015-01-01T18:00:00Z",
    "render_galley": null,
    "galleys": [
        {
            "label": "PDF",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/25418/galley/15042/download/"
        }
    ]
}