Overcoming cognitive set bias requires more than seeing an alternative strategy

Abstract

Determining when to switch from one strategy to another is at the heart of adaptive decision-making. Previous research shows that humans exhibit a ‘cognitive set’ bias, which occurs when a familiar strategy occludes—even much better—alternatives. Here we examined the mechanisms underlying cognitive set by investigating whether better solutions are visually overlooked, or fixated on but disregarded. We analyzed gaze data from 67 American undergraduates (91% female) while they completed the learned strategy-direct strategy (LS-DS) task, which measures their ability to switch from a learned strategy (LS) to a more efficient direct strategy (DS or shortcut). We found that, in the first trial block, participants fixated on the location of the shortcut more when it was available but most (89.6%) did not adopt it. Next, participants watched a video demonstrating either the DS (N = 34 Informed participants) or the familiar LS (N = 33 Controls). In post-video trials, Informed participants used the DS more than pre-video trials and compared to Controls. Notably, 29.4% of Informed participants continued to use the LS despite watching the DS video. We suggest that cognitive set in the LS-DS task does not stem from an inability to see the shortcut but rather a failure to try it.

Learned Helplessness in Renal Dialysis Patients: Concept Analysis with an Evolutionary Approach

“…The cognitive set is a state of readiness or behavioral tendencies for an activity. 30 When renal dialysis patients experience a blow of disease or a failure in self-management, if they are accustomed to attributing these to fate or deficiencies in self-efficacy, they will develop the cognitive set that no external factors or person can change the results and tend to fall into a continuous state of helplessness. [19][20][21]27…”

Variability and harshness shape flexible strategy-use in support of the constrained flexibility framework

“…For example, in the Learned Strategy-Direct Strategy task only ~ 1 in 10 Americans between the ages of 7–68 electively switched from a learned solution to a better alternative 34 , 36 . Even after watching a video demonstrating the better strategy, many American undergraduates did not relinquish their familiar strategy 37 . However, intriguingly Pope et al 35 found that semi nomadic Namibian Himba pastoralist adults were ~ 4 times more likely to find and use the more efficient strategy than American adults.…”

Variability and harshness shape flexible strategy-use, support for the Constrained Flexibility Framework

“…Cognitive set bias, the tendency to persist with a familiar strategy despite the availability of a better alternative, is found in a range of cognitive domains including mathematics [21][22][23][24] , design and engineering 25,26 , strategic reasoning 27 , tool-use 28,29 , as well as insight 30,31 , lexical 24,32 , and sequential problem-solving [33][34][35][36][37][38] . For example, in the Learned Strategy-Direct Strategy task only ~ 1 in 10 Americans between the ages of 7-68 electively switched from a learned solution to a better alternative 34,36 .…”

“…For example, in the Learned Strategy-Direct Strategy task only ~ 1 in 10 Americans between the ages of 7-68 electively switched from a learned solution to a better alternative 34,36 . Even after watching a video demonstrating the better strategy, many American undergraduates did not relinquish their familiar strategy 37 . However, intriguingly Pope et al 35 found that semi nomadic Namibian Himba pastoralist adults were ~ 4 times more likely to nd and use the more e cient strategy than American adults.…”