Chapter 1. Wason Selection

1.1 Background

Cognitive Tool Kit
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Wason Selection

Do you reason correctly? Since this is a cognitive psychology class you can probably predict that we will tell you that you don’t. In this experiment, we will examine a particular aspect of reasoning: hypothesis testing. You will be given a rule and asked to determine if it is true. You will be asked to check some cards to test the rule; that is, the cards allow you to collect evidence. The question is how you will select the evidence that will allow you to determine if the rule is correct.

References:

Margolis, H. (1987). Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition: A Theory of Judgment. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Wason, P. C. (1966). Reasoning. In B. Foss (ed.), New Horizons in Psychology. London: Penguin.

1.2 Experiment Setup

1.3 Instructions

You will be given a rule to test. To do this, you will be shown four cards. Each card will have a letter on one side, and a number on the other side. Two of the cards have the letter-side face up, and two have the letter-side face down.

Condition 1: Standard

Click on the card or cards that must be turned over to determine whether the rule has been violated.

Condition 2: p & q

Click on the two cards that must be turned over to determine whether the rule has been violated.

Condition 3: not-p and not-q

Figure out which two cards could violate the rule, and click on them.

1.4 Experiment

1.5 Results

1.6 Quiz

Question 1.1

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
The independent variable is the value that is changed by the experimenter. In this experiment, this variable is the type of instructions you were given.

Question 1.2

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
The dependent variable is the value the experimenter collects to indicate how you performed in the experiment. In this case, this variable is the cards chosen by you.

Question 1.3

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
This experiment has people in only one condition, and they were randomly assigned to that condition. Thus, the correct answer is that every person was randomly assigned to one condition, a between-subjects design.

Question 1.4

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to look for information that supports a hypothesis.

Question 1.5

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
It is given the symbol of psince it is in the first part of the rule and it is the card that has the same letter as in the rule.