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the original wason card selection problem

The Original Wason Card Selection Problem

For many years , the Wason card selection problem has proved useful for psychologists and other experts in the study of human reasoning and logical ability (Kahneman Tversky 1982 Almor Sloman 1996 Yama 2001 Fiddick , Cosmides Tooby 2000 . One of the most popularly used tools in the assessment of the cognitive architecture of humans , the Wason card selection task tests the participants ' logical intuitions based on conditional implications (Almor Sloman 1996 . The task likewise proves whether the human mind implements rules of logical inference (Fiddick , Cosmides

Tooby , 2000 ) by the subjects demonstrated ability to endorse a statement of a general rule ' or an argument to counter the rule (Kahneman Tversky 1982

In the original version of the Wason card selection , the participants of the experiment were shown four cards showing A , T , 4 , and 7 by the experimenter . They are then asked to choose which card /s they would turn-over to test the rule if a card has a vowel on one side , it has an even number on the other (Wason 1966 ) or the probability of the relationship if

then q ' within the four cards . The Wason selection task is structured so that the four cards are limited to display the instances of a true antecedent (TA ) or a false antecedent (FA ) on the side shown to the subjects , and a true consequent (TC ) or a false consequent (FC ) on the other (Yama 2000 ) Alternatively , the first side shows instances of `p ' and `not

' and `q ' and `not q ' on the side not shown to the subjects (Dawson , Gilovich Regan 2002

What has interested many psychologists and experts is the fact that the typical success rate for solving Wason 's problem in experiments conducted is only around twenty percent (20 (Dawson , Gilovich Regan 2002 ) The most common mistake committed by the participants in the card selection process is choosing the cards with A and 4 or A only instead of the correct response that should have been the cards with A or the p-card and 7 or the not-q card because an observation of an odd number on the first card (A ) or a vowel on the second card (7 ) would refute the rule (Kahneman Tversky 1982 . Researchers suggest that this failure from the part of the subjects to provide the correct answers despite the latent simplicity of the problem may be due to the fact that the problem is not represented in its simple logical form (Fiddick , Cosmides Tooby 2000 , confusing many subjects . On the other hand , a growing number of scholars point out to the role of confirmation bias - or the way that human beings systematically seek for instances that would confirm a theory rather than for instances to refute a theory - as a major hindrance to the effective use of logic and reasoning skills of humans (Klayman Ha 1987 Dawson , Gilovich Regan 2002 which may also explain why majority of the participants fail in the Wason card selection...

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