Question

At the end of the first paragraph in this chapter, Stanovich writes "Behavior is multiply determined." What does he mean?

Answer 1

In this chapter, Stanovich highlights that behavior is multiply determined. This means that it is not only caused by one variable, but also characterized by a large number of different variables. He highlights that most people think that there is only one reason people act the way they do, calling that idea the magic bullet.This idea forces us not to over interpret the ideas a single causal connection, but to look further at what other factors will contribute to the causes of that behavior.

The basic idea that Stanovich is getting at is that behavior has multiple causes. He wants us not to fall into the trap of thinking that a behavior is only caused by one cause. Most behaviors have many causes. When thinking about the variety of causes for a behavior, it’s also important to remember that there are often causes that interact with each other, and could mean different things when together, rather than when you look into each individual cause.

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