Recognizing Users of the Recognition Heuristic

Benjamin E. Hilbig; Rüdiger F. Pohl

doi:10.1027/1618-3169.55.6.394

Recognizing Users of the Recognition Heuristic

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169.55.6.394 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 55 (6) ◽

pp. 394-401 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Benjamin E. Hilbig ◽

Rüdiger F. Pohl

Keyword(s):

Decision Makers ◽

Recognition Heuristic ◽

Inference Strategy

The recognition heuristic is hypothesized to be a frugal inference strategy assuming that inferences are based on the recognition cue alone. This assumption, however, has been questioned by existing research. At the same time most studies rely on the proportion of choices consistent with the heuristic as a measure of its use which may not be fully appropriate. In this study, we propose an index to identify true users of the heuristic contrasting them to decision makers who incorporate further knowledge beyond recognition. The properties and the applicability of the proposed index are investigated in the reanalyses of four published experiments and corroborated by a new study drawn up to rectify the shortcomings of the reanalyzed experiments. Applying the proposed index to explore the influence of knowledge we found that participants who were more knowledgeable made use of the information available to them and achieved the highest proportion of correct inferences.

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A Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing: An Experimental Demonstration of Ignorance-Driven Inference

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17470210701507949 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 60 (10) ◽

pp. 1329-1336 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Caren A. Frosch ◽

C. Philip Beaman ◽

Rachel Mccloy

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Human Performance ◽

Performance Data ◽

Experimental Demonstration ◽

Recognition Heuristic ◽

Single Experiment ◽

Less Is More ◽

Basic Model ◽

Inference Strategy ◽

Theoretical Analyses

Studies of ignorance-driven decision making have been employed to analyse when ignorance should prove advantageous on theoretical grounds or else they have been employed to examine whether human behaviour is consistent with an ignorance-driven inference strategy (e.g., the recognition heuristic). In the current study we examine whether—under conditions where such inferences might be expected—the advantages that theoretical analyses predict are evident in human performance data. A single experiment shows that, when asked to make relative wealth judgements, participants reliably use recognition as a basis for their judgements. Their wealth judgements under these conditions are reliably more accurate when some of the target names are unknown than when participants recognize all of the names (a “less-is-more effect”). These results are consistent across a number of variations: the number of options given to participants and the nature of the wealth judgement. A basic model of recognition-based inference predicts these effects.

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Measuring Age-Related Differences in Using a Simple Decision Strategy

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000283 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 225 (1) ◽

pp. 20-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rüdiger F. Pohl

Keyword(s):

Decision Makers ◽

Decision Strategy ◽

Recognition Heuristic ◽

Specific Knowledge ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Knowing That ◽

Age Related ◽

Domain Specific Knowledge

Abstract. According to the recognition heuristic, decision makers base their inferences on recognition alone, assuming that recognized objects have larger criterion values than unrecognized ones. Knowing that recognition is a valid cue and thus using the recognition heuristic should increase with age. This was tested in two experiments with preadolescents (N = 140), adolescents (N = 186), and adults (N = 78). The results show, as expected, a monotonic age-related trend in the improvement of domain-specific knowledge but, unexpectedly, a non-monotonic one for using the recognition heuristic. More specifically, use of the recognition heuristic increased from preadolescents to adolescents, but then dropped for adults.

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EURRECAs Approach for Estimating Micronutrient Requirements

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000071 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 256-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Christophe Matthys ◽

Pieter van ‘t Veer ◽

Lisette de Groot ◽

Lee Hooper ◽

Adriënne E.J.M. Cavelaars ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Values ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Individual Variability ◽

The Body ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Nutrient Requirements ◽

Factorial Approach ◽

Dietary Reference Values ◽

Health Policy Decision ◽

Quantitative Integration

In Europe, micronutrient dietary reference values have been established by (inter)national committees of experts and are used by public health policy decision-makers to monitor and assess the adequacy of diets within population groups. The approaches used to derive dietary reference values (including average requirements) vary considerably across countries, and so far no evidence-based reason has been identified for this variation. Nutrient requirements are traditionally based on the minimum amount of a nutrient needed by an individual to avoid deficiency, and is defined by the bodys physiological needs. Alternatively the requirement can be defined as the intake at which health is optimal, including the prevention of chronic diet-related diseases. Both approaches are confronted with many challenges (e. g., bioavailability, inter and intra-individual variability). EURRECA has derived a transparent approach for the quantitative integration of evidence on Intake-Status-Health associations and/or Factorial approach (including bioavailability) estimates. To facilitate the derivation of dietary reference values, EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned (EURRECA) is developing a process flow chart to guide nutrient requirement-setting bodies through the process of setting dietary reference values, which aims to facilitate the scientific alignment of deriving these values.

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Haunted by a Doppelgänger

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000221 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 12-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Bettina von Helversen ◽

Stefan M. Herzog ◽

Jörg Rieskamp

Keyword(s):

Relevant Information ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Human Judgment ◽

Rule Based ◽

New Employees ◽

High Performing ◽

Facial Similarity ◽

Similarity Effect ◽

Judgment Strategy

Judging other people is a common and important task. Every day professionals make decisions that affect the lives of other people when they diagnose medical conditions, grant parole, or hire new employees. To prevent discrimination, professional standards require that decision makers render accurate and unbiased judgments solely based on relevant information. Facial similarity to previously encountered persons can be a potential source of bias. Psychological research suggests that people only rely on similarity-based judgment strategies if the provided information does not allow them to make accurate rule-based judgments. Our study shows, however, that facial similarity to previously encountered persons influences judgment even in situations in which relevant information is available for making accurate rule-based judgments and where similarity is irrelevant for the task and relying on similarity is detrimental. In two experiments in an employment context we show that applicants who looked similar to high-performing former employees were judged as more suitable than applicants who looked similar to low-performing former employees. This similarity effect was found despite the fact that the participants used the relevant résumé information about the applicants by following a rule-based judgment strategy. These findings suggest that similarity-based and rule-based processes simultaneously underlie human judgment.

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