Editing Recognition heuristic (section)

== Domain specificity ==

The recognition heuristic is posited as a domain-specific strategy for inference. It is ecologically rational to rely on the recognition heuristic in domains where there is a correlation between the criterion and recognition. The higher the recognition validity α for a given criterion, the more ecologically rational it is to rely on this heuristic and the more likely people will rely on it. For each individual, α can be computed by

:'''α = C/(C+W)'''
 
where C is the number of correct inferences the recognition heuristic would make, computed across all pairs in which one alternative is recognized and the other is not, and W is the number of wrong inferences. Domains in which the recognition heuristic was successfully applied include the prediction of geographical properties (such as the size of cities, mountains, etc.),<ref name="Gigerenzer 2002"/><ref name="Gigerenzer 1999"/> of sports events (such as Wimbledon and soccer championships<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Serwe S, Frings C|year=2006|title=Who will win Wimbledon? The recognition heuristic in predicting sports events|journal=J. Behav. Decis. Mak.|volume=19|issue=4|pages=321–32|doi=10.1002/bdm.530}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Scheibehenne B, Bröder A|year=2007|title=Predicting Wimbledon 2005 tennis results by mere player name recognition|journal=Int. J. Forecast.|volume=23|issue=3|pages=415–26|doi=10.1016/j.ijforecast.2007.05.006|url=http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:76447|access-date=2023-02-27|archive-date=2022-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129091336/https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:76447|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name = "Pachur">{{cite journal|author1=Pachur, T.|author2=Biele, G.|year=2007|title=Forecasting from ignorance: the use and usefulness of recognition in lay predictions of sports events|journal=Acta Psychol|volume=125|issue=1|pages=99–116|pmid=16904059|doi=10.1016/j.actpsy.2006.07.002|hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0024-FE80-F|hdl-access=free}}</ref>) and elections.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Gaissmaier | first1 = W. | last2 = Marewski | first2 = J. N. | year = 2011 | title = Forecasting elections with mere recognition from lousy samples | journal = Judgment and Decision Making | volume = 6 | pages = 73–88 | doi = 10.1017/S1930297500002102 | hdl = 11858/00-001M-0000-0024-F1FA-5 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> Research also shows that the recognition heuristic is relevant to marketing science. Recognition based heuristics help consumers choose which brands to buy in frequently purchased categories.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hauser | first1 = J. | year = 2011 | title = A marketing science perspective on recognition-based heuristics (and the fast-and-frugal paradigm) | journal = Judgment and Decision Making | volume = 6 | issue = 5| pages = 396–408 | doi = 10.1017/S1930297500001352 | hdl = 1721.1/75727 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> A number of studies addressed the question of whether people rely on the recognition heuristic in an ecologically rational way. For instance, name recognition of Swiss cities is a valid predictor of their population (α = 0.86) but not their distance from the center of Switzerland (α = 0.51). Pohl<ref name ="Pohl">{{cite journal|author=Pohl R|year=2006|title=Empirical tests of the recognition heuristic|journal=J. Behav. Decis. Mak.|volume=19|issue=3|pages=251–71|doi=10.1002/bdm.522}}</ref> reported that 89% of inferences accorded with the model in judgments of population, compared to only 54% in judgments of the distance. More generally, there is a positive correlation of r = 0.64 between the recognition validity and the proportion of judgments consistent with the recognition heuristic across 11 studies.<ref>{{cite book|vauthors=Pachur T, Todd PM, Gigerenzer G, Schooler LJ, Goldstein DG|year=2010|chapter=When is the recognition heuristic an adaptive tool? |title=Ecological Rationality: Intelligence in the World|editor1=PM Todd|editor2=G Gigerenzer|editor3=ABC Res. Group|location=New York|publisher=Oxford Univ. Press}}</ref> Another study by Pachur<ref name="Pachur 2008">{{cite journal|last=Pachur|first=Thorsten|author2=Bröder, Arndt |author3=Marewski, Julian N. |title=The recognition heuristic in memory-based inference: is recognition a non-compensatory cue?|journal=Journal of Behavioral Decision Making|date=1 April 2008|volume=21|issue=2|pages=183–210|doi=10.1002/bdm.581|hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0024-FB80-1|hdl-access=free}}</ref> suggested that the recognition heuristic is more likely a tool for exploring natural rather than induced recognition (i.e. not provoked in a laboratory setting) when inferences have to be made from memory. In one of his experiments, the results showed that there was a difference between participants in an experimental setting vs. a non-experimental setting.