According to the theory of 'promiscuous teleology', humans are naturally biased to (mistakenly) construe natural kinds as if they (like artifacts) were intentionally designed 'for a purpose'. However, this theory introduces two paradoxes. First, if infants readily distinguish natural kinds from artifacts, as evidence suggests, why do school-aged children erroneously conflate this distinction? S...

According to the theory of ‘promiscuous teleology’, we are naturally biased to (mistakenly) construe natural kinds as if they (like artifacts) were intentionally designed ‘for a purpose’. However, this theory introduces two paradoxes. First, if infants readily distinguish natural kinds from artifacts, as evidence suggests, why do school-aged children erroneously conflate this distinction? Secon...

In this paper we present a new approach to model-based monitoring and diagnosis of dynamic systems. We extend related research work which concentrates either on monitoring (i .e . fault detection) or on diagnosis (i .e . fault localization) and therefore misses important aspects of effective and efficient troubleshooting . The presented DIAMON algorithm) uses hierarchical models to monitor and ...

People frequently see design in nature that reflects intuitive teleological thinking-that is, the order supports life suggests it was designed for purpose. This research proposes inferences are stronger when human specifically. Five studies (N = 1,788) examine evidence an anthro-teleological bias. agreed more with statements framed to aid humans (e.g., Trees produce oxygen so can breathe) than ...

Explanation is a critical component of higher cognitive functioning. We investigated whether some explanations are inherently appealing, or whether their appeal depends on context. To do so we presented statements (e.g., “Ducks have property X”) coupled with formal, causal, or teleological explanations (“because property X helps them float”), and asked participants to evaluate the explanations....

CRM is becoming critical to organisations worldwide as global competition increases and technological innovations in communication continue to emerge. In this descriptive case study, we have investigated a utility provider – with a geographical monopoly, who has successfully implemented a complaint management system, as part of their CRM process transformation. We have applied the teleological ...