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Psychological Phenomena

Certainty Effect

Decision-Making and Judgment Biases

The certainty effect is the psychological effect that results from reducing a probability from certain to merely probable, so that people weight a guaranteed outcome more heavily than the mathematics of expected value would justify. It is an idea introduced within prospect theory, the account of how people actually evaluate risky choices rather than how a purely rational decision-maker would evaluate them.

Facts
Core Claim
The psychological effect resulting from the reduction of probability from certain to probable. 1
Classification
Type of Phenomenon
Cognitive Phenomenon 1
Connections

In Branch

Source Certainty effect, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Certainty effect, Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph
    The certainty effect is the psychological effect resulting from the reduction of probability from certain to probable (Tversky & Kahneman 1986).
  • In Branch: Cognitive Psychology, Categories
    Wikipedia article 'Certainty effect' is filed under Category:Cognitive biases.
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