ERIC Number: EJ934200
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0096-3445
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Unpacking Unpacking: Greater Detail Can Reduce Perceived Likelihood
Redden, Joseph P.; Frederick, Shane
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, v140 n2 p159-167 May 2011
Past research suggests that a categorical event is perceived to be more likely if its subcases are explicitly delineated or "unpacked." In 6 studies, we find that unpacking can often make an event seem less likely, especially when the details being unpacked are already highly accessible. Process evidence shows that the provision of greater detail accompanying unpacking reduces the simplicity of an event and that this dysfluency is used as a negative cue for likelihood. This work establishes processing fluency as a mechanism that opposes the other effects of unpacking, such as enhanced accessibility. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Tests, Statistics, Probability, Undergraduate Students, Games, Debt (Financial), Statistical Analysis, Prediction, Cues
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A