Information stored in memory affects abductive reasoning

Klichowicz, Anja; Lippoldt, Daniela Eileen; Rosner, Agnes; Krems, Josef F. · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01460-8

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Summary

This study investigates how the availability of information in working memory versus external visual displays influences abductive reasoning, specifically within the framework of the Theory of Abductive Reasoning (TAR). Abductive reasoning involves deriving the best explanation for a set of observations. The authors address the question of how limited working memory capacity affects the construction of a "situation model"—the mental representation used for reasoning—when individuals must retrieve previous observations and explanations from memory rather than accessing them visually. The research aims to determine if higher memory demands increase task difficulty, alter the reasoning process, or change the final reasoning outcomes. The researchers conducted an experiment with 31 participants using the "black box task," where participants inferred the location of hidden atoms based on the entry and exit points of light rays. The study employed a within-subjects design with four conditions manipulating what remained visible on screen: all atoms and observations (A&O), only atoms (A), only observations (O), or neither (N). Eye-tracking technology recorded gaze patterns to assess cognitive workload and memory retrieval processes, while subjective ratings measured perceived task difficulty. The analysis focused on whether participants used integrative strategies (combining previous explanations) or separate explanations, and how gaze behavior shifted based on information availability. The results indicated that participants perceived tasks requiring memory retrieval as significantly more difficult than those with visible information. Eye-tracking data revealed that gaze patterns changed depending on the condition, reflecting shifts in the mental representation; specifically, participants looked at empty spatial locations to retrieve information when it was not visually present. However, despite the increased subjective difficulty and cognitive load, there were no significant differences in the final reasoning outcomes across conditions. Participants successfully achieved similar reasoning accuracy regardless of whether information was external or internal. This suggests that individuals adapt their strategy by constructing a situation model that includes only the most relevant information when memory demands are high, effectively compensating for limited working memory capacity. The findings imply that abductive reasoning is robust to variations in memory load because individuals dynamically adjust their cognitive strategies. When external memory aids are unavailable, reasoners prioritize relevant information to maintain a coherent situation model, ensuring successful inference despite higher perceived effort. This highlights the flexibility of human cognition in managing limited working memory resources through strategic attention and selective information integration. The study supports the view that the situation model is task-dependent and that visual attention plays a critical role in managing the trade-off between internal retrieval and external information access.

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• cognitive capacity variation