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Related Experiment Videos

Availability and category-frequency estimation.

D Bruce1, W E Hockley, F I Craik

  • 1Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.

Memory & Cognition
|May 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Frequency estimates rely on recalling examples, especially when memory retrieval is not guided by explicit categorization during learning. This availability heuristic impacts how we judge event frequency.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Memory Research

Background:

  • Frequency estimation is a fundamental cognitive process.
  • The availability heuristic suggests frequency is judged by ease of instance retrieval.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the availability hypothesis of frequency estimation.
  • To investigate conditions that support or limit the availability heuristic.

Main Methods:

  • Participants judged the frequency of taxonomic categories in a study list.
  • Cued recall of category examples served as an index of instance availability.
  • Experimental conditions manipulated categorization during list presentation and timing of judgments.

Main Results:

  • Strong positive correlations between frequency judgments and recall were found when explicit categorization was absent or delayed.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Correlations weakened significantly when participants actively categorized items with feedback.
  • Age differences in recall were not mirrored in frequency judgments under certain conditions.

    • Conclusions:

    • Frequency judgments are strongly influenced by the ease of retrieving instances (availability heuristic).
    • Active, guided categorization during learning can disrupt the availability heuristic.
    • The relationship between availability and frequency judgment is context-dependent.