The Centipede's Dilemma
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28
CORE DEFINITION
"The Centipede's Dilemma" is a short poem that has lent its name to a psychological effect called the centipede effect or centipede syndrome. The centipede effect occurs when a normally automatic or unconscious activity is disrupted by consciousness of it or reflection on it. For example, a golfer thinking too closely about their swing or someone thinking too much about how they knot their tie may
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
"The Centipede's Dilemma" is a short poem that has lent its name to a psychological effect called the centipede effect or centipede syndrome. The centipede effect occurs when a normally automatic or unconscious activity is disrupted by consciousness of it or reflection on it. For example, a golfer thinking too closely about their swing or someone thinking too much about how they knot their tie may
Anchor fast decisions
Sequential game: when reasoning backward from the end, a rational player should stop early at each step to maximize payoff, but backward induction leads to premature termination, conflicting with intuition and exposing the paradox of backward induction.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Centipede%27s_Dilemmaverified
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