Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M1814

Baby Duck Syndrome

Baby Duck Syndrome
BehaviorHigh supportPsychology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Newly hatched ducklings will recognize the first moving object they see as their mother. Similarly, users tend to consider the first system they learned (such as Windows or an old version of Photoshop) as the best, and reject any new design, even if it is better.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Fear of redesign. During product redesign, user complaints are often not because the new version is bad, but simply because it is 'different from the old version'. Do not blindly follow the habitual feedback of old users.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Users regard the first system they learned as the 'standard/optimal', and subsequent better but different designs are rejected because they are 'different from the old version', which is a preference for familiarity.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_%28psychology%29ZH · Explicit
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