Frequency illusion

From RationalWiki
Jump to: navigation, search

The frequency illusion (also known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon) is the phenomenon in which people who just learn or notice something start seeing it everywhere. For instance, a person who just saw a movie about sharks might start seeing the word "shark" everywhere. This is not necessarily because the person really has come across more instances of the word "shark", but because usually they simply passed the word over and quickly forgot it, while later, having seen the movie, the word started sticking in their memory.

Research into the perception of low probability events suggests that frequency illusions come from a combination of imaginability and the manner in which data is presented. If a rare event is presented as having a 1 in 1,000 chance of happening, that event will seem more likely than if presented as 0.1% chance of happening.[1] Using integers to show the chances makes it easier for a person to imagine themselves facing the unusual event. Add in a little danger (would seeing the word "ant" have the same effect as "shark"?) and, voilà, frequency illusion.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support