Take The Best versus simultaneous feature matching: Probabilistic inferences from memory and effects of reprensentation format.

In 4 experiments, the tendency to use the simple heuristic Take The Best was explored for probabilistic multiattribute inferences from memory and it was shown that the representational format may be an important moderating variable for strategy use.

Abstract

In 4 experiments, the tendency to use the simple heuristic Take The Best (TTB; G. Gigerenzer & D. Goldstein, 1996) was explored for probabilistic multiattribute inferences from memory. In a newly developed procedure, participants first learned attribute patterns that formed the basis for inferences in a second phase. A Bayesian method classified strategies as TTB, compensatory, or guessing. Experiment 1 had a high rate (64%) of participants classified as TTB users when inferences were made from memory. Experiment 2 showed that this was no mere materials effect. In Experiments 3 and 4, the authors examined effects of the representational format of the attribute information. Experiment 4 showed that the representational format may be an important moderating variable for strategy use.