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How Diagrams can Improve Reasoning: Mental Models and the Difficult Cases of Disjunction and Negation

Abstract

We report two experiments on the effects of diagrams on reasoning. Both studies used "double disjunctions", e.g.: Raphael is in Tacoma or Julia is in Atlanta, or both. Julia is in Atlanta or Paul is in Philadelphia, or both. What follows? Subjects find it difficult to deduce a valid conclusion, such as: Julia is in Atlanta,

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