13 checked facts

Reasoning

Everything on this site about reasoning — each one naming the study behind it.

Asking why makes you more stubborn than asking how.
A 2013 study found that asking someone to explain 'why' they hold a position strengthens their opposition.…
You judge an explanation as 'correct' if it includes neuroscience data.
The seductive allure of neuroscience makes people believe that explanations are logically sound, even when they contai…
Your brain hides its lack of preparation from you.
A 2002 study showed that people believe they have a deeper understanding of complex mechanical devices than they actua…
You are a stranger to your own reasons.
A 1977 study showed that people often invent plausible, but false, explanations for why they chose one object over ano…
You struggle to change your mind despite evidence.
Belief persistence describes the psychological tendency to maintain an initial belief even after the evidence supporti…
You avoid thinking deeply even when you could.
Cognitive reflection is the tendency to override an intuitive, incorrect response in favor of a more deliberate, accur…
You ignore information that disagrees with your prior beliefs.
The disconfirmation bias leads you to spend more cognitive effort scrutinizing and attacking evidence that contradicts…
You fail because you trust your first instinct.
The Cognitive Reflection Test shows that people often fail simple logic puzzles by relying on intuitive, incorrect ans…
You mistake the ease of recalling a reason for the validity of that reason.
The availability heuristic leads you to treat information that is easier to remember as more important or frequent.…
You ignore statistical data for a single compelling story.
A 1973 study showed that even when given accurate probabilities, participants prioritized specific personality descrip…
You accept illogical arguments if the conclusion feels true.
Belief bias is the tendency to judge the strength of an argument based on the believability of its conclusion rather t…
You judge how common a risk is by how easily you recall it.
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a …
You ignore the statistics to focus on the story.
People disregard general statistical information in favor of specific, anecdotal evidence.…