Peter Wason | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 April 1924 Bath, Somerset, England |
| Died | 17 April 2003 (aged 78) Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | Oxford, University College, London |
| Known for | Psychology of reasoning |
| Relatives | Sydney Rigby Wason (uncle) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Institutions | University of Aberdeen, University College, London |
| Doctoral students | |
Peter Cathcart Wason (22 April 1924 – 17 April 2003) was an English cognitive psychologist at University College, London, who pioneered the psychology of reasoning. He sought to explain why people consistently commit logical errors. He designed problems and tests to demonstrate these behaviours, such as the Wason selection task, the THOG problem and the 2-4-6 problem. He also coined the term "confirmation bias"[1] to describe the tendency for people to immediately favor information that validates their preconceptions, hypotheses and personal beliefs regardless of whether they are true or not.
- ^ The Telegraph. "Peter Wason". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2014.