Replicating a Simple Study of Asymmetry in Human Cognition

Abstract

V. A. Lefebvre proposed an algebraic model of self-reflexion in the 1980s, and one of the model's central predictions was that individuals would exhibit a clear asymmetry in their judgments when facing an ambiguous binary choice task. A replication of the results of a 1990 test of Lefebvre's model was attempted by asking individuals to sort pairs of pinto beans into boxes marked as either “good” or “bad.” Consistent with the model's predicted frequency of .618, the participants judged the beans to be good with an average frequency of .624. This result was also significantly higher than the frequency expected from random judgments ( viz., .50).