Hypothetical thought involves the imagination of possibilities and the exploration of their consequences by a process of mental simulation. In this Classic Edition, Jonathan St B T Evans' presents his pioneering Hypothetical Thinking Theory; an integrated theoretical account of a wide range of psychological studies on hypothesis testing, reasoning, judgement and decision making.
Hypothetical Thinking Theory is built on three key principles and implemented in a version of Evans' well-known heuristic-analytic theory of reasoning. The central claim of this book is that this theory can provide an integrated account of apparently diverse phenomena including confirmation bias in hypothesis testing, acceptance of fallacies in deductive reasoning, belief biases in reasoning and judgement, biases of statistical judgement and numerous characteristic findings in the study of decision making.
Featuring a reflective and insightful new introduction to the book, this classic edition discusses contemporary theory on cognitive biases, human rationality and dual-process theories of higher cognition. It will be of great interest to researchers, post graduates as well as advanced undergraduate students.
Industry Reviews
"This book will be an instant classic - a book that every cognitive scientist will want to read. It is a superb piece of scholarship by one of the originators of the now-popular dual process view which should be widely read." - Keith E. Stanovich, University of Toronto, Canada "This is a timely volume. It presents a overview of an increasingly popular view of human thinking that currently influences numerous areas of investigation in both cognitive and social psychology. This book will be an essential purchase for graduate courses on thinking, judgement and decision-making" - Vittorio Girotto, University IUAV of Venice, Italy "This excellent book integrates diverse evidence in support of dual process theories of reasoning. The book is thoroughly-researched, beautifully written, and reflects the erudite scholarship we have come to expect from Jonathan Evans. Anyone who is interested in issues of rationality as they pertain to thinking, reasoning, and decision-making should read this book." - Valerie Thompson, University of Saskatchewan, Canada