The conjunction fallacy occurs when the conjunction of two events is judged as more probable to occur than its constituent events. This phenomenon has been investigated mainly by cognitive psychologists but, recently, it has called the attention of some behavior analysts. The present study summarizes the literature on fallacy, emphasizing the methodological strategies used and the empirical results attained. Among the control variables analyzed, some special attention is given to the representativeness, the inadequate use of probabilistic rules, the previous experiences with constituent and compound events, the statistical training, and verbal and contextual aspects.
conjunction fallacy; probability judgments; behavior analysis