Abstract
The current study investigated whether college students specifically have the prerequisite knowledge to use reciprocal information in their reasoning about covariation. Primacy effects on sequential processing tasks provided an opportunity to compare the use of single-cell information versus the use of reciprocal information in judgments about covariation. To investigate these issues, 72 students sequentially processed 25 slides containing dichotomous information about two variables pertaining to the performance of an imaginary tennis player, time of season and quality of performance. Participants received blocks of information (consisting of either identical or reciprocal information) either at the beginning or at the end of the slide sequence. Judgments about covariation, assessed using a conditional statement procedure as opposed to the traditional “rule analysis” methodology were not significantly different between identical and reciprocal conditions. In addition, frequency estimates provided for reciprocal cells were highly correlated. Although the primacy block was more powerful than the recency block, judgments between identical and reciprocal groups were similar despite the primacy bias. Results further substantiate the claim that people are capable of using reciprocal information in judgments about covariation.