Mike Oaksford

Cognitive scientist and, with Nick Chater, co-architect of the rational analysis / Bayesian-rationality programme, arguing rationality is defined by calibrated reasoning about uncertainty rather than conformity to formal logic — concretely demonstrated in their recasting of the Wason selection task as optimal data selection. He matters to the vault the same way Chater does: as the empirical and methodological counterpart to Gigerenzer's ecological rationality, on the losing (or at least unreplied-to) side of Brighton's 2006 cross-validation reanalysis of their 2003 take-the-best study — a dispute the vault has searched for a reply to and not found one.

References

• claim-oaksford-chater-redefine-rationality-as-reasoning-about-uncertainty · claim-oaksford-chater-recast-wason-task-as-optimal-data-selection · claim-brighton-2006-reanalysis-reversed-take-the-best-result-against-chater-oaksford · claim-no-chater-oaksford-reply-to-brighton-2006-reanalysis-located
• Captures: 2026-08-02-did-the-chateroaksford-camp-reply-to-brightons-2006