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Claims about acquiring knowledge or factual beliefs through other people's assertions, reports, or testimony, including how testimonial sources compare with direct perception or other sources of knowledge. Excludes general social learning by imitation when no testimony is involved.

Most of an individual's factual beliefs are acquired from testimony rather than direct observation.

SupportedThe evidence favors the claim, but the examination is incomplete or the evidence is indirect.constitution →empirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitution →Cognitive Psychology Cultural Transmissionimportance · minorImportance 0.30, from 0 to 1 · minor: narrow or largely settled, cheap to get right. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution →

Counted as individual propositions, transient perceptual beliefs vastly outnumber a person's testimony-based beliefs.

UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitution →empirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitution →Cognitive Psychologyimportance · settledImportance 0.15, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution →

Most standing factual beliefs a typical person holds concern matters they have never personally observed.

It is rational for individuals to independently verify most claims they encounter.

ContradictedThe evidence, examined directly, weighs against the claim.constitution →evaluativeA judgment of worth or quality against some standard: good, fair, effective.constitution →importance · minorImportance 0.30, from 0 to 1 · minor: narrow or largely settled, cheap to get right. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution →

Individuals lack the time and expertise to independently verify most claims they encounter.

UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitution →empirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitution →Cognitive Psychologyimportance · settledImportance 0.20, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution →

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