Wanting a bird's eye to understand why: Motivated abstraction and causal uncertainty

Namkoong, Jae-Eun; Henderson, Marlone D.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.01.014

Cited by 4 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…The above method was implemented by Namkoong and Henderson 11 in their first study, which consisted of two data sets. The two data sets were combined for the analysis because the pattern of results was consistent across both.…”

Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methodology described and discussed in the current paper was specifically developed to test the activation and pursuit of cognitive goals and the associated consequences. A cognitive goal (or thinking goal) is defined as a desired state of mind 11 . Cognitive goals may encompass specific thought outcomes, such as those related to motivated reasoning 12 or confirmation bias 13 , or they may be about achieving a certain mode of thinking, whether it is to be more accurate 14 or to think more creatively 15 or at a higher level 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A cognitive goal (or thinking goal) is defined as a desired state of mind 11 . Cognitive goals may encompass specific thought outcomes, such as those related to motivated reasoning 12 or confirmation bias 13 , or they may be about achieving a certain mode of thinking, whether it is to be more accurate 14 or to think more creatively 15 or at a higher level 11 . While the antecedents and consequences of various cognitive goals have been examined in various empirical settings, the activation of these motivational states has often been implied rather than directly tested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While this protocol can be adapted to test the activation of a variety of cognitive goals, the example of a recent study, which tested whether causal uncertainty (i.e., uncertainty about why something happened) activates a goal to think more abstractly 11 , is used here in an attempt to provide more details and contextual background on the protocol. The theory was proposed and demonstrated as an extension of prior work showing that abstract thinking (considering central, overarching themes and similarities across events as opposed to peripheral, lower-level details and differences between events) reduces causal uncertainty 24 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Namkoong

Henderson

2017

JoVE

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This protocol is based on the task interruption and resumption paradigm, the premise of which is that active goals lead to persistent behavior and thus a higher resumption rate after a period of delay or interruption. The task interruption and resumption protocol described in this research is tailored to test the activation of cognitive goals (e.g., a goal to think more abstractly). Cognitive goals may be pursued even during the interruption period; thus, to prevent this, the protocol involves cognitive distraction. The protocol consists of several stages. Specifically, the initial stage includes the goal activation process, where the treatment (versus control) condition receives a manipulation to activate the cognitive goal being tested by the researcher. In the next stage, participants are presented with the introduction of a task that is perceived to either satisfy or not satisfy the cognitive goal of interest. Importantly, this task is interrupted a few seconds after it begins. The task interruption forces a delay period and introduces a cognitive distraction to prevent the automatic pursuit and fulfillment of the cognitive goal. After the interruption period, participants are given a choice between resuming the interrupted task and abandoning the interrupted task to complete an alternative task instead. Among participants whose cognitive goals had been activated at the earlier stage, the task resumption rate should be higher if the task was perceived as an opportunity to satisfy (versus not satisfy) the goal. Such a finding would provide empirical evidence that the cognitive goal has been activated and pursued. In previous research, this protocol has been used to test whether causal uncertainty activates an abstract thinking goal. Adapting the protocol to test the activation of other cognitive goals is also discussed.

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Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Namkoong

Henderson

2017

JoVE

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“…For example, causal uncertainty may lead people to focus on obtaining more informative answers (Weary & Jacobson, 1997); rely less on cognitive shortcuts, such as stereotypes (Weary, Jacobson, Edwards, & Tobin, 2001); and correct their own biases (Vaughn & Weary, 2003). Another area of research, which is the focus of this article, examines a more spontaneous and automatic cognitive process activated by causal uncertainty: abstract thinking (Helzer & Edwards, 2012; Namkoong & Henderson, 2016).…”

Section: The Goal Of Reducing Causal Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to Causal Uncertainty Through Abstract Thinking

Namkoong

Henderson

2019

Curr Dir Psychol Sci

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The need to understand causality is a powerful motivator. As a result, causal uncertainty, or the sense of not knowing why something happened, can lead to negative psychological consequences and thus activate cognitive processes that can help reduce causal uncertainty. Here, we review the literature that focuses on the relationship between causal uncertainty and abstract thinking. Research shows that causal uncertainty spontaneously motivates people to think more abstractly. This cognitive process has important implications in other domains, such as communication and leadership. For example, when individuals tune in to others on social media during times of causal uncertainty, they prefer more abstract messages, especially when those messages come from socially prominent sources (e.g., leaders). Furthermore, research shows that abstract thinking reduces causal uncertainty by simplifying how causal relationships are cognitively represented. We discuss how these findings relate to previous research and propose directions for future research on the basis of remaining questions.

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Role of Culture in Meaning Making: Bridging Semiotic Cultural Psychology and Active Inference

Kerusauskaite

2022

Integr. psych. behav.

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Wanting a bird's eye to understand why: Motivated abstraction and causal uncertainty

Cited by 4 publications

References 98 publications

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Responding to Causal Uncertainty Through Abstract Thinking

Role of Culture in Meaning Making: Bridging Semiotic Cultural Psychology and Active Inference

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