The SDT Model of Belief Bias: Complexity, Time, and Cognitive Ability Mediate the Effects of Believability

When people evaluate conclusions, they are often influenced by prior beliefs. Prevalent theories claim that "belief bias" affects the quality of syllogistic reasoning. However, recent work by Dube, Rotello, and Heit (2010) has suggested that belief bias may be a simple response bias. In Ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition memory, and cognition, 2013-09, Vol.39 (5), p.1393-1402
Main Authors: Trippas, Dries, Handley, Simon J, Verde, Michael F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Adult
Attitude
Attitudes
Belief & doubt
Beliefs
Bias
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition - physiology
Cognition. Intelligence
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive Bias
Cognitive models
England
Evaluative Thinking
Experimental psychology
Foreign Countries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Judgment
Judgment - physiology
Logic
Logical Thinking
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reasoning
Reasoning. Problem solving
ROC Curve
Signal Detection (Perception)
Statistical Analysis
Theories
Time
Undergraduate Students
Young Adult
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Summary:When people evaluate conclusions, they are often influenced by prior beliefs. Prevalent theories claim that "belief bias" affects the quality of syllogistic reasoning. However, recent work by Dube, Rotello, and Heit (2010) has suggested that belief bias may be a simple response bias. In Experiment 1, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that believability affected accuracy for complex but not for simple syllogisms. In Experiment 2, the effect of believability on accuracy disappeared when judgments were made under time pressure and with participants low in cognitive capacity. The observed effects on reasoning accuracy indicate that beliefs influence more than response bias when conditions are conducive to the use of certain reasoning strategies. The findings also underscore the need to consider individual differences in reasoning.
ISSN:0278-7393
1939-1285
DOI:10.1037/a0032398