Wason Selection Task and Typical Reasoning Experiments - Essay Example

Mentioning the representativeness heuristic as a key factor that affects our decision-making is singled out due to its critical relevance in terms of the higher probability of happenings that are not known but are similar or representative of the population from which the event comes from. Furthermore, the base rate and a proper way to reduce it mentioned in terms of simple, uninterrupted, intentional time which result in greater skill in understanding and deducing the information we need by assessing the risks and rewards accurately is the right fit considering the decision-making error.

Assignment 3

• A brief description of one failure of deductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.

A recent example that I experienced was when I was home alone and waiting for the cable repair guy. I was working in the kitchen so when I heard a knock I didn’t bother to look but jumped to the conclusion that it was cable guy. So without thinking, I asked him to come in since the knock on the door coincided with my thought process and anticipation regarding the cable guy. So I failed to use valid deductive reasoning as I followed the situation incorrectly( p then q), so I assumed q then p. Later I realized how wrong I was when I realized I had invited a stranger into the house by incorrectly assuming it was the cable guy, an encounter which gave me a start as I momentarily stared at the unknown individual in shock.

• Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., heuristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process

Heuristic is influenced by reasoning for the incorrect assumption that the knock on the door was the cable guy. To improve my thinking process in such incidents and situations I must keep an alert mind and recognize fallacies that occur in deductive reasoning. I should evaluate my thinking and consider alternatives that overcome any biases that I might experience and lead me to confidently conclude without really considering them.

• A brief description of one failure of inductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.

An example that I can relate to that of inductive reasoning was when I saw these two dogs fighting over what appeared to be a large bone that was buried not too deep in this pile of things. During this fight, another dog came and joined in the fight and the three fought over the bone for a while. When the third dog had joined in through these observations I assumed that he was the one that was the owner of the bone and that he had hidden it in the pile of things. However, after a while when I had looked away and turned my attention back towards them I saw that a man was aggressively waving to get rid of these dogs and that I had wrongly induced to be a bone was a large packet of meat shaped like a bone.

• Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., heuristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process

Confirmation bias is the key reason that leads to my inaccurate assumptions. Turns out I was focusing on all the aspects that seemed to confirm what I had already decided in my mind; the common notion that dogs fight over bones. To overcome this bias I must reassess my thinking and take into consideration all aspects of a scenario and incorporate them into my active thinking. Read More