It's Not My Fault, Your Honor, I'm Only the Enabler

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Vol. 29, 2007, Extended Abstract.

2 Pages Posted: 5 Apr 2017 Last revised: 7 Apr 2017

See all articles by Caren Frosch

Caren Frosch

University of Reading

Philip Johnson-Laird

Princeton University

Michelle B. Cowley-Cunningham

Royal Statistical Society; University of Oxford

Date Written: April 4, 2007

Abstract

According to the mental model theory, causes and enablers differ in meaning, and therefore in their logical consequences (Goldvarg & Johnson-Laird, 2001). They are consistent with different possibilities. Recent psychological studies have argued to the contrary, and suggested that linguistic cues guide this distinction (Kuhnmünch & Beller, 2005). The issue is important because neither British nor American law recognizes this distinction (e.g., Roberts & Zuckerman, 2004). Yet, in our view, it is central to human conceptions of causality. Hence, in two experiments, we examined our participants’ ability to distinguish between causes and enablers in scenarios describing the actions of two agents and a subsequent outcome, e.g.: ‘Mary threw a lighted cigarette into a bush. Just as the cigarette was going out, Laura deliberately threw petrol on it. The resulting fire burnt down her neighbor’s house.’ Here Mary enabled the fire to occur, whereas Laura caused the fire to occur.

Keywords: Causes; Enabling Conditions; Law

Suggested Citation

Frosch, Caren and Johnson-Laird, Philip and Cowley-Cunningham, Michelle B., It's Not My Fault, Your Honor, I'm Only the Enabler (April 4, 2007). Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Vol. 29, 2007, Extended Abstract., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2946248

Caren Frosch (Contact Author)

University of Reading ( email )

Whiteknights
Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AH
United Kingdom

Philip Johnson-Laird

Princeton University ( email )

22 Chambers Street
Princeton, NJ 08544-0708
United States

Michelle B. Cowley-Cunningham

Royal Statistical Society ( email )

NCFB
Dublin
Ireland

University of Oxford ( email )

CSLS
Oxford
United Kingdom

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