The Rest Is Science The Reasoning Test Psychologists Still Can't Explain
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Apr 20, 2026 A deep dive into the Wason selection task and why abstract logic trips us up while social scenarios make it click. They contrast card puzzles with pub-style rules, explore confirmation bias and why we ignore counterexamples. The conversation considers evolutionary views that reasoning evolved for social coordination and persuasion rather than pure truth-seeking.
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Wason Test Reveals A Universal Reasoning Gap
- The Wason selection task exposes a deep mismatch between abstract logic and everyday reasoning.
- Peter Cathcart Wason's original cards (A, G, 7, 8) produced ~4–10% correct responses across studies, showing surprising universal difficulty.
Bar Scenario Makes The Puzzle Instantly Obvious
- Recasting the abstract card problem as a bar-age/drink rule makes it instantly solvable.
- Michael presents cards 12, 35, soda, beer and Hannah immediately picks the 12-year-old and the beer-drinker to check compliance.
Modus Ponens Versus Modus Tollens Explains Errors
- Solving the selection task requires using two valid inferences: modus ponens and modus tollens.
- People commonly spot modus ponens (affirm antecedent) but fail to apply modus tollens (deny consequent), causing systematic errors.
