Intuitions of probabilities shape expectations about the future at 12 months and beyond
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Type
Journal articleTitle / Series / Name
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPublication Volume
104Publication Issue
48Date
2007
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Rational agents should integrate probabilities in their predictions about uncertain future events. However, whether humans can do this, and if so, how this ability originates, are controversial issues. Here, we show that 12-month-olds have rational expectations about the future based on estimations of event possibilities, without the need of sampling past experiences. We also show that such natural expectations influence preschoolers’ reaction times, while frequencies modify motor responses, but not overt judgments, only after 4 years of age. Our results suggest that at the onset of human decision processes the mind contains an intuition of elementary probability that cannot be reduced to the encountered frequency of events orelementary heuristics.identifiers
10.1073/pnas.0700271104ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1073/pnas.0700271104
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