1994•The Japanese journal of psychologyOpen access
Representation constructed in linear syllogistic reasoning.
Hiroshi Yama
Open full text 1 citations
Abstract
Two experiments were performed to clarify the mental processes and the forms of representation constructed in linear syllogistic reasoning. In both experiments, subjects (68 graduates and undergraduates) were asked to decide whether or not three terms were ordered linearly. The first experiment compared two previously known effects; one was the effect facilitating the given-new strategy, and the other was the effect of end-anchoring. Results indicated that the reaction time decreased if the given-term was at the beginning of the second premise, or if the new term was the subject of the second premise. The results of the second experiment, which was designed to elucidate the end-anchoring effect in terms of mental movement, suggested that the mental operation on the new term imitated the actual movement implied by the verb in the premise, providing evidence of spatial representation in linear syllogistic reasoning.
Open-access reader