ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I argue that the data analyzed throughout the book support a blended view of cognition. To do so, I demonstrate how individuals think through complex topics in patterned yet personalized ways as they draw on schemas and frames to arrive at their final conclusions. I discuss how individuals’ thought processes can fruitfully be mapped out using the concept of cognitive paths: the routes that individuals tend to take when reasoning through particular topics which can fruitfully be unpacked in terms of which ideas are called upon, how they are used, and how they take shape throughout an individual’s overall response trajectory. The patterned, yet personalized, nature of thought as made evident through the analysis of automatic deliberation and cognitive paths implies that, rather than being purely Type 1 or Type 2 in any given instance, cognition has both automatic and deliberate dimensions to it. By framing cognition in such a manner and mapping it out using cognitive paths, sociologists can more accurately gauge the extent to which culture shapes cognition in any given empirical domain.
