People confidently report the reasons for their own judgements while having no access to the processes that produced them.
Nisbett and Wilson's 1977 paper, "Telling more than we can know." Subjects choosing among identical stockings showed a strong position effect and confidently reported reasons of quality and texture.
In practice
- An interviewer explains they chose the candidate for their communication skills, having decided in the first minute for reasons they cannot access.
- A shopper explains their preference for one brand in terms of quality, having been influenced by shelf position.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Decision-making & Reasoning
- Essay
- The catalogue of predictable errors