The Accuracy–Coherence Trade-Off in Cognition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8397350 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Thorstad (0000-0003-1985-8931, Vanderbilt University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 695-715 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/716518 |
| OpenAlex | W3186705471 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 42 |
I argue that bounded agents face a systematic accuracy-coherence tradeoff in cognition. Agents must choose whether to structure their cognition in ways likely to promote coherence or accuracy. I illustrate the accuracy-coherence tradeoff by showing how it arises out of at least two component tradeoffs: a coherence-complexity tradeoff between coherence and cognitive complexity, and a coherence-variety tradeoff between coherence and strategic variety. These tradeoffs give rise to an accuracy-coherence tradeoff because privileging coherence over complexity or strategic variety often leads to a corresponding reduction in accuracy. I conclude with a discussion of two normative consequences for the study of bounded rationality: the importance of procedural rationality and the role of coherence in theories of bounded rationality
Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy · Download · Epistemology · Philosophy of science · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Free Will and Agency · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and Theoretical Science
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The comparison problem for approximating epistemic ideals
Reply to commentators
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Why bounded rationality (in epistemology)
Cognitive bias in large language models
All Frames Are Not Created Equal
Do Defaults Save Lives?
Adaptive strategy selection in decision making.
Probabilistic mental models
Toward a Rational and Mechanistic Account of Mental Effort
Reasoning the fast and frugal way
Why Be Rational?
Effort and Accuracy in Choice
Homo Heuristicus
Intransitivity of preferences.
Rationality Through Reasoning
Reasoning with heuristics
Making space for the normativity of coherence
Predicting elections from the most important issue
Blame It on the Norm
Coherence as an ideal of rationality
Axiomatic rationality and ecological rationality
Measuring the overall incoherence of credence functions
Bayes, Bounds, and Rational Analysis
Graded Incoherence for Accuracy-Firsters
Rationality Disputes - Psychology and Epistemology
Linear models in decision making
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |