A robust confidence-accuracy dissociation via criterion attraction.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Decision Making

Background:

• Confidence and accuracy are often dissociated in cognitive tasks.
• Previous dissociations typically have small effect sizes, limited participant involvement, and reaction time confounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new method for inducing significant confidence-accuracy dissociations.
• To overcome limitations of prior research, such as small effect sizes and reaction time confounds.

Main Methods:

• Utilized external noise manipulation to influence stimulus perception.
• Applied the phenomenon of criterion attraction, where task criteria converge.
• Participants judged stimuli under low and high external noise conditions.

Main Results:

• Conditions were matched for accuracy and reaction time (RT).
• A large dissociation in confidence was observed (Cohen's d = 1.9) in most participants.
• Computational modeling supported criterion attraction as the underlying mechanism.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a novel, effective method for creating substantial confidence-accuracy dissociations.
• This method achieves large dissociations without altering subjective experience or reaction time.
• Findings highlight the role of post-perceptual cognitive limitations in confidence judgments.