Simplicity and probability in causal explanation

@article{Lombrozo2007SimplicityAP,
  title={Simplicity and probability in causal explanation},
  author={Tania Lombrozo},
  journal={Cognitive Psychology},
  year={2007},
  volume={55},
  pages={232-257}
}

• Tania Lombrozo
• Published in Cognitive Psychology 2007
• DOI:10.1016/j.cogpsych.2006.09.006

What makes some explanations better than others? This paper explores the roles of simplicity and probability in evaluating competing causal explanations. Four experiments investigate the hypothesis that simpler explanations are judged both better and more likely to be true. In all experiments, simplicity is quantified as the number of causes invoked in an explanation, with fewer causes corresponding to a simpler explanation. Experiment 1 confirms that all else being equal, both simpler and more… CONTINUE READING

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