Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M1201

Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Psychology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Believing something is true (or false) because one hopes it is true (or false). This is a cognitive shortcut where desire overrides evidence.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Brutal audit. When you feel 'very excited' about a decision and cannot find any flaws, be wary of wishful thinking. Ask yourself: 'If my most disliked person proposed this plan, could I still see its merits?'

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Judging based solely on subjective desires rather than objective facts, this is a wishful thinking bias, leading to systematic misestimation of probabilities and risks.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%80%E5%BB%82%E6%83%85%E9%A1%98ZH · Explicit
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