Cognitive Demand Differences in Causal Inferences

Readers may draw knowledge-based inferences to connect sentences in text differently depending on the knowledge domain being accessed. Most prior research has focused on the direction of the causal explanation (predictive vs. backward) without regard to the knowledge domain drawn on to support comprehension. We suggest that less cognitive effort is required for physical cause-and-effect inferences than for inferences drawn from goal-directed or planning knowledge. Using a dual task that required readers to hold word lists in memory while reading simple texts, we measured inference processes across knowledge areas by probe word recognitions and knowledge-validating questions. In Experiment 1 a word-recall task of 3 versus 6 items was employed to overload working memory and attention. In Experiment 2, a no-load level was included for comparison. The impact of cognitive loads (high vs. low vs. no) was expected to impair inference processes more for planning than physical knowledge, which our results supported. These findings suggest that demands on cognitive resources, which support inference processes, vary by knowledge domain. Findings also indicate that answering questions is more demanding than probe recognitions. These findings are informative to cognitive retraining programs for survivors of acquired brain injury, indicating that knowledge domains requiring less cognitive resources may be more accessible

Causal inference · Causation · Cognition · Cognitive Load · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive resource theory · Comprehension · Domain knowledge · Inference · Linguistics · Natural language processing · Reading (process · Reading comprehension · Recall · Retraining · Task (project management · Child and Animal Learning Development · Computer Science · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Artificial Intelligence

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