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141A counterfactual explanation for the action effect in causal judgmentCognition 190 (C): 157-164. 2019.People’s causal judgments are susceptible to the action effect, whereby they judge actions to be more causal than inactions. We offer a new explanation for this effect, the counterfactual explanation: people judge actions to be more causal than inactions because they are more inclined to consider the counterfactual alternatives to actions than to consider counterfactual alternatives to inactions. Experiment 1a conceptually replicates the original action effect for causal judgments. Experiment 1b…Read more
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97The emotional impact of baseless discrediting of knowledge: An empirical investigation of epistemic injusticeActa Psychologica 244. 2024.According to theoretical work on epistemic injustice, baseless discrediting of the knowledge of people with marginalized social identities is a central driver of prejudice and discrimination. Discrediting of knowledge may sometimes be subtle, but it is pernicious, inducing chronic stress and coping strategies such as emotional avoidance. In this research, we sought to deepen the understanding of epistemic injustice’s impact by examining emotional responses to being discredited and assessing if m…Read more
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96Against Some Recent Arguments for ‘Ought’ Implies ‘Can’: Reasons, Deliberation, Trying, and FurniturePhilosophia 47 (1): 131-139. 2019.Many philosophers claim that ‘ought’ implies ‘can’. In light of recent empirical evidence, however, some skeptics conclude that philosophers should stop assuming the principle unconditionally. Streumer, however, does not simply assume the principle’s truth; he provides arguments for it. In this article, we argue that his arguments fail to support the claim that ‘ought’ implies ‘can’.
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94Influence of outcome valence in the subjective experience of episodic past, future, and counterfactual thinkingConsciousness and Cognition 21 (3): 1085-1096. 2012.Recent findings suggest that our capacity to imagine the future depends on our capacity to remember the past. However, the extent to which episodic memory is involved in our capacity to think about what could have happened in our past, yet did not occur , remains largely unexplored. The current experiments investigate the phenomenological characteristics and the influence of outcome valence on the experience of past, future and counterfactual thoughts. Participants were asked to mentally simulat…Read more
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91Cognitive systems and the changing brainPhilosophical Explorations 20 (2): 224-241. 2017.The notion of cognitive system is widely used in explanations in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Traditional approaches define cognitive systems in an agent-relative way, that is, via top-down functional decomposition that assumes a cognitive agent as starting point. The extended cognition movement challenged that approach by questioning the primacy of the notion of cognitive agent. In response, [Adams, F., and K. Aizawa. 2001. The Bounds of Cognition. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.] sugges…Read more
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84Perceived similarity of imagined possible worlds affects judgments of counterfactual plausibilityCognition 209 (C): 104574. 2021.People frequently entertain counterfactual thoughts, or mental simulations about alternative ways the world could have been. But the perceived plausibility of those counterfactual thoughts varies widely. The current article interfaces research in the philosophy and semantics of counterfactual statements with the psychology of mental simulations, and it explores the role of perceived similarity in judgments of counterfactual plausibility. We report results from seven studies (N = 6405) jointly su…Read more
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67Network Modularity as a Foundation for Neural ReusePhilosophy of Science 86 (1): 23-46. 2019.The neural reuse framework developed primarily by Michael Anderson proposes that brain regions are involved in multiple and diverse cognitive tasks and that brain regions flexibly and dynamically interact in different combinations to carry out cognitive functioning. We argue that the evidence cited by Anderson and others falls short of supporting the fundamental principles of neural reuse. We map out this problem and provide solutions by drawing on recent advances in network neuroscience, and we…Read more
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62Reseña de "Las dificultades del compatibilismo de Dennett, Thémata. Revista de filosofía 39" de Guerrero del Amo, J. AIdeas Y Valores 58 (141): 262-268. 2009.
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49Emotional intensity in episodic autobiographical memory and counterfactual thinkingConsciousness and Cognition 48 283-291. 2017.
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48El problema de la conciencia para la filosofía de la mente y de la psiquiatríaIdeas Y Valores 66 (S3): 15-45. 2017.Muchos psiquiatras se encuentran constantemente con pacientes cuyos síntomas incluyen trastornos o alteraciones de la conciencia. Infortunadamente, el significado del término conciencia es poco claro. Este artículo hace un repaso sistemático de varios significados atribuidos a dicho término, así como de diversos problemas filosóficos asociados. Asimismo, reconstruye varias teorías filosóficas y científicas de la conciencia, identificando sus ventajas y desventajas. Al final, ofrece algunas suger…Read more
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48_Perceptual Imagination and Perceptual Memory_ Edited by Fiona Macpherson and Fabian DorschAnalysis 81 (4): 827-831. 2022.
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47Clinical applications of counterfactual thinking during memory reactivationBehavioral and Brain Sciences 38. 2015.
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37The origins of meaning: Language in the light of evolutionPhilosophical Psychology 22 (4). 2009.
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37How thinking about what could have been affects how we feel about what wasCognition and Emotion 33 (4): 646-659. 2019.ABSTRACTEpisodic counterfactual thoughts and autobiographical memories involve the reactivation and recombination of episodic memory components into mental simulations. Upon reactivation, memories become labile and prone to modification. Thus, reactivating AM in the context of mentally generating CFT may provide an opportunity for editing processes to modify the content of the original memory. To examine this idea, this paper reports the results of two studies that investigated the effect of rea…Read more
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36Editor’s introductionPhilosophical Psychology 32 (5): 585-587. 2019.Volume 32, Issue 5, July 2019, Page 585-588.
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36Making moral principles suit yourselfPsychonomic Bulletin & Review 1. 2021.Normative ethical theories and religious traditions offer general moral principles for people to follow. These moral principles are typically meant to be fixed and rigid, offering reliable guides for moral judgment and decision-making. In two preregistered studies, we found consistent evidence that agreement with general moral principles shifted depending upon events recently accessed in memory. After recalling their own personal violations of moral principles, participants agreed less strongly …Read more
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33Memory and Counterfactual Simulations for Past Wrongdoings Foster Moral Learning and ImprovementCognitive Science 45 (6). 2021.In four studies, we investigated the role of remembering, reflecting on, and mutating personal past moral transgressions to learn from those moral mistakes and to form intentions for moral improvement. Participants reported having ruminated on their past wrongdoings, particularly their more severe transgressions, and they reported having frequently thought about morally better ways in which they could have acted instead (i.e., morally upward counterfactuals; Studies 1–3). The more that participa…Read more
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30Phenomenology of counterfactual thinking is dampened in anxious individualsCognition and Emotion 34 (8): 1737-1745. 2020.Counterfactual thinking, or simulating alternative versions of occurred events, is a common psychological strategy people use to process events in their lives. However, CFT is also a core com...
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29Neuroscience and philosophy (edited book)The MIT Press. 2022.State-of-the-art collection on how neuroscience and philosophy can mutually illuminate each other on core psychological concepts. An interdisciplinary collection in the best sense.
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28Prinz, Jesse J. Furnishing the Mind: Concepts and Their Perceptual Basis. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 358 p.(2002)[2004] (review)Ideas Y Valores 56 (133): 163-168. 2007.
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24Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging changes during relational retrieval in normal aging and amnestic mild cognitive impairmentJournal of the International Neuropsychological Society 18 886-897. 2012.
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22Correction to: The Effect of What We Think may Happen on our Judgments of ResponsibilityReview of Philosophy and Psychology 9 (2): 447-447. 2018.On pages 263, 265, and 266, incorrect degrees of freedom and t values were reported. The statistical conclusions are not affected by these reporting errors, but the corrected values are shown below.
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22Two challenges for a dual system approach to temporal cognitionBehavioral and Brain Sciences 42. 2019.Hoerl & McCormack propose a two-system account of temporal cognition. We suggest that, following other classic proposals where cognitive systems are putatively independent, H&M's two-system hypothesis should, at a minimum, involve a difference in the nature of the representations upon which each system operates, and a difference in the computations they carry out. In this comment we offer two challenges aimed at showing that H&M's proposal does not meet the minimal requirements and.
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19Exploring the experience of episodic past, future, and counterfactual thinking in younger and older adults: A study of a Colombian sampleConsciousness and Cognition 51 258-267. 2017.
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19The Efficacy of Downward Counterfactual Thinking for Regulating Emotional Memories in Anxious IndividualsFrontiers in Psychology 12. 2022.Aversive autobiographical memories sometimes prompt maladaptive emotional responses and contribute to affective dysfunction in anxiety and depression. One way to regulate the impact of such memories is to create a downward counterfactual thought–a mental simulation of how the event could have been worse–to put what occurred in a more positive light. Despite its intuitive appeal, counterfactual thinking has not been systematically studied for its regulatory efficacy. In the current study, we comp…Read more
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