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The motivated use and neglect of base rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2007

Eric Luis Uhlmann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT [email protected]@yale.edu
Victoria L. Brescoll
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT [email protected]@yale.edu
David Pizarro
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. [email protected]://www.peezer.net/Home.html

Abstract

Ego-justifying, group-justifying, and system-justifying motivations contribute to base-rate respect. People tend to neglect (and use) base rates when doing so allows them to draw desired conclusions about matters such as their health, the traits of their in-groups, and the fairness of the social system. Such motivations can moderate whether people rely on the rule-based versus associative strategies identified by Barbey & Sloman (B&S).

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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