Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-hgkh8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T21:06:51.283Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The motivated use and neglect of base rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2007

Eric Luis Uhlmann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520eric.uhlmann@yale.eduvictoria.brescoll@yale.edu
Victoria L. Brescoll
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520eric.uhlmann@yale.eduvictoria.brescoll@yale.edu
David Pizarro
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. dap54@cornell.eduhttp://www.peezer.net/Home.html

Abstract

Ego-justifying, group-justifying, and system-justifying motivations contribute to base-rate respect. People tend to neglect (and use) base rates when doing so allows them to draw desired conclusions about matters such as their health, the traits of their in-groups, and the fairness of the social system. Such motivations can moderate whether people rely on the rule-based versus associative strategies identified by Barbey & Sloman (B&S).

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brescoll, V. L. & Uhlmann, E. L. (2007) System-justifying motivations underlie biological attributions for gender differences. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University.Google Scholar
Ditto, P. H., Scepansky, J. A., Munro, G. D., Apanovitch, A. M. & Lockhart, L. K. (1998) Motivated sensitivity to preference-inconsistent information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75:5369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelman, S. A. (2003) The essential child: Origins of essentialism in everyday thought. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ginossar, Z. & Trope, Y. (1987) Problem solving in judgment under uncertainty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52:464–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jost, J. T. & Banaji, M. R. (1994) The role of stereotyping in system-justification and the production of false consciousness. British Journal of Social Psychology 33:127.Google Scholar
Keil, F. C. (1989) Concepts, kinds, and cognitive development. MIT Press.Google Scholar
McDell, J., Uhlmann, E. L., Omoregie, H. & Banaji, M. R. (2006) The psychological correlates of Bayesian racism. Poster presented at the Society of Personality and Social Psychology meeting, Palm Springs, CA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pizarro, D. A. & Uhlmann, E. L. (2005) Do normative standards advance our understanding of moral judgment? [Commentary]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 28:558–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaller, M. (1992) In-group favoritism and statistical reasoning in social inference: Implications for formation and maintenance of group stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63:6174.Google Scholar
Sidanius, J. & Pratto, F. (1999) Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tetlock, P. E., Kristel, O. V., Elson, S. B., Green, M. C. & Lerner, J. S. (2000) The psychology of the unthinkable: Taboo trade-offs, forbidden base rates, and heretical counterfactuals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78:853–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed