Reactivating logic? Age-dependent effects of intuitive debiasing training

Previous work has shown that short debiasing interventions in which the problem solution is explained can boost adults’ intuitive reasoning. This effect has been attributed to the reactivation of prior logico-mathematical knowledge acquired through schooling. However, this hypothesis has not yet been directly tested. To address this issue, we compared the impact of debias training on two classic reasoning tasks (i.e., the bat-and-ball and base-rate problems) on reasoning performance at the end of (11-12th grade) and start of (7th-8th grade) secondary education (i.e., groups with a more vs. less developed logico-mathematical knowledge base). We adopted a two-response paradigm to distinguish between intuitive and deliberate responses before and after the training. Across both tasks, training improved performance (compared to a no-training control group) in both age groups, primarily through increased intuitive accuracy. Critically, debiasing was more likely to produce logical intuitions in late than early adolescents. These findings suggest that the success of intuitive boosting relies on the extent to which relevant logical principles have been practiced to the point of automaticity.