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2023-07-28

Stanovich KE, Toplak ME. The Rationality Quotient: Toward a Test of Rational Thinking. MIT Press; 2016.

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Book

Individuals

Cognition

Rationality

An overview of the work of the authors in investigating the important differences between intelligence and rationality or between algorithmic and reflective thinking. They include details of the test that they use to measure rationality and they also define and explain the important differences between 'epistemic' and 'instrumental' rationality:

" Epistemic rationality is about what is true and instrumental rationality is about what to do. For our beliefs to be rational they must correspond to the way the world is— they must be true. For our actions to be rational, they must be the best means toward our goals— they must be the best things to do. Nothing could be more practical or useful for a person’s life than the thinking processes that help them find out what is true and what is best to do. "