Explanation and Abductive Inference

Tania Lombrozo

doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734689.013.0014

Explanation and Abductive Inference

Tania Lombrozo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

183 Scopus citations

Abstract

Everyday cognition reveals a sophisticated capacity to seek, generate, and evaluate explanations for the social and physical worlds around us. Why are we so driven to explain, and what accounts for our systematic explanatory preferences? This chapter reviews evidence from cognitive psychology and cognitive development concerning the structure and function of explanations, with a focus on the role of explanations in learning and inference. The findings highlight the value of understanding explanation and abductive inference both as phenomena in their own right and for the insights they provide concerning foundational aspects of human cognition, such as representation, learning, and inference.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	The Oxford Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning
Publisher	Oxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)	9780199968718
ISBN (Print)	9780199734689
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734689.013.0014
State	Published - Nov 21 2012
Externally published	Yes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Psychology

Keywords

Abduction
Abductive inference
Explanation
Inference to the best explanation
Self-explanation
Understanding

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10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734689.013.0014

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KW - Inference to the best explanation

KW - Self-explanation

KW - Understanding

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ER -

Explanation and Abductive Inference

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Keywords

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