The Heuristic of Sufficient Explanation: Implications for Human-Agent Interaction

Abstract

The heuristic of sufficient explanation (HOSE) is a process by which people learn hidden information about other agents. If the publicly available reasons for behaviour seem insufficient to explain the agent's behaviour, people look for hidden reasons that would explain it. I will present evidence for HOSE across several contexts, including economic decision-making, belief in conspiracy theories, judgments of other agents’ bad intentions, and romantic attraction. I will discuss implications for Human-Agent Interaction more broadly, including for perceptions of non-human agents’ motives.