The Precision Effect: How Numerical Precision Influences Everyday Judgments

Abstract

Numerical precision – unusually precise or sharp numbers – can trigger heuristic processing and influence judgments. Numerical precision triggers heuristic processing because it causes computational difficulty or encoding difficulty. The authors propose that the discrepancy attribution model can offer a parsimonious explanation for the effects of numerical precision on everyday judgments.

Keywords: Numerical Cognition, Heuristics, Biases, Judgments