Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M0187

Streetlight Effect

Streetlight Effect
TechnicalHigh supportScientific Methodology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The drunk man searches for his keys under the streetlight, not because he lost them there, but because that's where the light is.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Beware of misleading availability. We tend to look for answers where data is easy to obtain, rather than where it truly matters but is dark. This explains why many KPIs are meaningless—they are merely easy to measure, not because they are important.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Derived from the joke: the drunk man looks for his keys under the streetlight simply because that's where the light is—people tend to search where it is easy rather than where it is correct.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetlight_effectZH · Explicit
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