Content Effects In Conditional Reasoning: Evidence From Eye-movement

In reasoning process, people receicve logically-equivalent inference problem while using the specific content, their correct solution of the rate will change greatly, this kind of cognition phenomenon named content effects. The domestic and foreign scholars have conducted massive research to the four kinds of logical arguments of conditional reasoning by employing concrete and abstract conditionals, and have obtained rich empirical study material about content effects and figural effects. Researchers have proposed differential theoretical interpretations towards content effects. However, the existing research technique mainly employs the paper-and-pencil test, so reasoning process of real-time monitoring of the related research is less. In order to advance the research in this domain, this study is designed on the basis of results of previous studies, selecting the condition of reasoning as the research object and focusing the content effects. With the eye-movement recording and analysis technology, we do a more in-depth, detailed study to reveal content effects in two kinds of tasks:syllogism task form and four cards form. From the perspective of eye movement, this study originally investigate individual's performance in the concrete and the abstract nature of syllogistic reasoning task, at the same time, this study originally investigate individual's performance in the concrete and the abstract nature of four cards form of reasoning task. Then we compare the individual's performances in both the presentation of tasks. By recording eyemovements of the whole process of reasoning, we complete the real-time measurement of reasoning process, and then focus on the information in terms of reasoning processes, we try to further explore the substance of content effects and test effects of various theories about content effects.The first experiment is a 2×4 two-factor repeated-measures experimental design in which independent variable includes:content properties (including specific contents, abstract content), inference form (MP, MT, DA, AC); dependent variable as follows: subjects'correct response rate and eye movement indicators (including trial fixation time, trial fixation counts, AOI dwell time, AOI fixation counts). The purpose of this study is to examine how the nature of contents influence individual's performance in syllogistic reasoning task and the impact of differences in eye movement patterns. The second experiment is a single-factor within subject design in which independent variable includes:content properties (specific contents, abstract content), dependent variable as follows:subjects'correct response rate and eye movement indicators. The purpose of this study is to examine how the nature of contents influence individual's performance in the four cards form reasoning task and the impact of differences in eye movement patterns. These two experiments both employ experimental apparatus "EyeLink CL" which is made by Canadian SR RESEARCH Company. The eye-tracking experimental process is controlled by software program of Experiment-Build. Experimental subjects are 33 undergraduate students from Fujian Normal University, including 16 males and 17 females. The results showed that:(1) Different nature of the contents have significant effect in the performance of syllogistic reasoning task, for the specific content of the reasoning significantly better than the abstract content of the reasoning.(2) Different types of logical reasoning in the same content have significant effect in the performance of reasoning tasks, results of MP, DA, AC inference types are significantly higher than that of MT.(3) Different nature of the contents have significant differences in eye movement patterns in the process of syllogistic reasoning task, for the specific content of the reasoning needs dwell time and fixation counts significantly less than the abstract content of the reasoning.(4) Different types of logical reasoning in the same content have significant differences in eye movement patterns in the performance of reasoning task, the reasoning problems which are more difficult require more dwell time and fixation counts, the subjects are subject to the MT type of reasoning which needs more dwell time and fixation counts.(5) Different kinds of logical reasoning in the same content have significant effect in the performance of reasoning task, performance in syllogistic reasoning task is far better than the four card selection task.(6) Different nature of the contents have significant effect in the performance of the four card selection task, for the specific content of the reasoning do not have significant difference than the abstract content of the reasoning.(7) Different nature of the contents have significant differences in eye movement patterns in the process of four card selection task, for the specific content of the reasoning needs dwell time and fixation counts significantly more than the abstract content of the reasoning.