Categorization reduces uncertainty at a predictable cost to accuracy

Evidence

Categorization is aimed at reducing uncertainties, but uncertainty reduction comes at the cost of increased inaccuracy in perceptions, judgments, and memories. As Allport acknowledged, inaccuracy is difficult to estimate in the context of social judgments: “nature does not tell us which [categorical] attributes are defining, which merely probable, and which totally fallacious” (1954/1979, p. 172; see Judd & Park, ch. 8 this volume, for a discussion of stereotype accuracy). Allport further suggested that as pragmatic perceivers, people choose when to make this trade-off. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1158

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the law of least effort and bounded rationality literature — Kahneman’s System 1/2 and Gigerenzer’s fast-and-frugal heuristics. — connects to: Cataloguing behaviors is insufficient; deciphering them requires a proper method; Risk-category classification replaced individual screening as credit control logic — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 360