The Wason selection task, devised by Peter Cathcart Wason in 1966, is a logic puzzle that only 10-25% of people solve correctly — exposing a deep flaw in human logical reasoning.
The Task
You are shown four cards: E, K, 4, 7. Each card has a letter on one side and a number on the other. The rule is: If a card has a vowel on one side, it has an even number on the other side. Which cards must you turn over to test whether the rule is true or false?
Most people say E and 4. The correct answer is E and 7.
Why People Get It Wrong
People confirm the rule (looking for cases where the rule holds) rather than trying to falsify it (looking for cases where it might break). You need to check E (a vowel — does it have an even number?) and 7 (an odd number — does it have a vowel, which would violate the rule?). The 4 card tells you nothing — even numbers can have consonants.
Confirmation Bias at Its Purest
Even in pure logical reasoning with abstract symbols, humans default to seeking confirmation rather than falsification. This is why the scientific method — designed to falsify rather than confirm — is so counter-intuitive.
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