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Smaller is better (when sampling from the crowd within): Low memory-span individuals benefit more from multiple
Kathleen L Hourihan1, Aaron S Benjamin
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820, USA. hourihan@illinois.edu
Summary
Averaging two guesses improves accuracy, especially for individuals with lower memory spans. This suggests a unique cognitive advantage for those with less working memory capacity in certain tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Memory
- Decision Making
Background:
- Averaging multiple responses from a single individual can enhance accuracy.
- This challenges theories that disregard probabilistic evidence gathering in decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if memory span influences the benefit of averaging multiple responses.
- To test the hypothesis that lower memory spans yield greater independence between estimates.
Main Methods:
- Participants with varying memory spans provided multiple responses to general knowledge questions.
- The accuracy of single responses was compared to the average of two responses.
Main Results:
- Averaging two guesses was more beneficial for individuals with lower memory spans compared to those with higher spans.
- This indicates that lower memory span can confer an advantage in this cognitive task.
Conclusions:
- Memory span modulates the effectiveness of aggregating multiple estimates.
- Findings suggest memory span acts as a buffer influencing the independence of retrieved information.
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