Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M4422

Naïve Realism

Naïve Realism
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-02

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A concept from social psychology. Naive realism holds that people assume their own perceptions are direct and unbiased readings of reality, and conclude that anyone who disagrees must be uninformed, irrational, or motivated by self-interest. The position makes disagreement self-serving, since it locates the error entirely in the other party, and it contributes to polarization.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Assume a frame: treat your own reading as one interpretation rather than as the plain truth - Reframe disagreement: ask what different information or priorities would make the other position reasonable - Seek calibration: check your view against people with different backgrounds before concluding they are biased

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Perception feels transparent, so the interpretive work behind it is invisible to the perceiver. That invisibility makes one's own view seem like the world itself rather than a construction of it, and disagreement then requires explanation in terms of the other person's defects. The explanation is self-serving and requires no revision, which is why the pattern persists.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve_realismZH · Explicit
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