Test

1. What we usually think: "What happened??"
Something has to actively happen for us to us to
think about causality. E.g. I stayed out too late, so
my parents grounded me for a week.
Alternative reasoning: "What's going on??"
Systems in balance are generating causal
relationships, even if nothing is actively happening
at the moment. E.g. On most days, I return home
before midnight, so my parents generally give me
plenty of personal freedom.
What happened? vs.
What’s going on?

2. What we usually think: “Cause and effect must
be easy to perceive.”
Some causes are easy to sense and observe. E.g.
I’m so hungry now because I haven’t eaten today.
Alternative reasoning: “Cause and effect can be
quite hard to notice.”
Some causes are not obvious because they are
microscopic, imperceptible, or inferred. E.g. I get so
hungry these days because I’ve been working out
more.
Easy to perceive vs.
Hard to perceive

3. What we usually think: “Someone did it!”
Some causes involve someone who wants to do
something purposefully. E.g. I was late, so I took an
Uber to meet friends at Union Square.
Alternative reasoning: “No one did it.”
But other causes don’t involve action or intent to
work. Or peoples’ intentions might not actually lead
where they intended. E.g. Because I took an Uber
instead of the subway, I contributed more to global
warming! 
Someone did it vs.
No one did it

4. What we usually think: “It’ll always work.”
We often think that an effect always follows a given
cause. We generalize based on a few events. E.g.
Too much candy? Psh, no such thing! I never feel ill
no matter how much candy I eat.
Alternative reasoning: “It usually works.”
But many effects only sometimes follow a given
cause. E.g. Seems like today isn’t my day – I feel
sick for the first time after eating10 Hershey’s bars.
It’ll always work vs.
It usually works

5. What we usually think: “Effects happen close to the
cause.”
We think that causes and effects physically touch each other
or are close to each other in space and time. E.g. Going for
a dip in the sea causes my fingers to wrinkle up.
Alternative reasoning: “Effects can happen far away
from the cause.”
But other causes can act at a distance, or there are delays
between the cause and effect. E.g. Going for a suntan is
unhealthy, because of the sun’s powerful UV rays.
Close to the cause
vs. Far from the
cause

6. What we usually think: “Someone’s in charge”
We often believe that a central figure or leader
causes (and intends) the outcome. E.g. Facebook
allows people to show support to selected causes
by adding a profile picture filter.
Alternative reasoning: “No one’s in charge.”
When the actions and decisions of individuals
interact, the end result might not be the same as
individual intent. E.g. Community-based creation of
alternative filters as a snub to those FB offered..
Someone’s in
charge vs. No one’s
in charge