ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses R. P. Abelson and H. F. Gollob theoretical formulations separately and summarizes some of the research generated by each. It considers the two formulations in combination and attempt to show more directly the relevance of Gollob’s work to Abelson’s more general theory. The chapter explores some of the research concerning the third issue identified, that is, the conditions in which subjects will accept a general proposition on the basis of limited information. It draws on certain aspects of this research in an attempt to demonstrate the value of Gollob’s formulation in identifying the nature of implicational molecules and the conditions under which they are used. However, Abelsonhas recently developed a general theoretical formulation of cognitive functioning that may satisfy the first of these needs, while Gollob, a former student of Abelson, has developed a procedure for studying complex social inference phenomena that may satisfy the second.
