Waking sleeping numbers with your hot hand: People's perceptions of randomness

Randomness and human cognition generally do not mesh well. People perceive all sorts of things in a sequence that is actually random, and our perceptions can be contradictory: On the one hand, gamblers think that a red number is "due" after 10 black numbers have come up at roulette. On the other hand, we think that a basketball player has a "hot hand" if they make 3 shots in a row. Recent research illuminates the features of randomness that determine those perceptions.

Source: Psychonomic Society News - July 28, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: news