The ecological validity of fluency (2013)

Abstract

This chapter reviews the ecological validity of processing fluency; that is, the extent to which we can draw valid inferences about the external world by paying heed to our internal experience of fluency. As a proximal cue, fluency can help us navigate an uncertain world because it reflects the statistical structure of our environment. We can use the ecological connection between fluency and the world to inform our judgments and decisions. For example, retrieval fluency—the speed with which we retrieve objects from memory— reflects numerical quantities of importance, the truth of statements, the danger of objects and social information about what other people are doing. We hope to complement our descriptive understanding of how and when people use fluency with an understanding of where fluency is an ecologically valid cue and where it is not. (135

Bibliographic entry

Herzog, S. M., & Hertwig, R. (2013). The ecological validity of fluency. In C. Unkelbach & R. Greifeneder (Eds.), The experience of thinking: How the fluency of mental processes influences cognition and behavior (pp. 190-219). New York: Psychology Press.

Miscellaneous

Publication year 2013
Document type: In book
Publication status: Published
External URL:
Categories:
Keywords: bounded rationalityecological validityfluencyfluency heuristicimitationmemorymere exposureretrieval fluencytruth effect

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