Local Coherence
This concept reconciles associationist and rule-based views of conceptual coherence by proposing that people primarily seek local coherence—ensuring that current explanations and working memory contents are internally consistent and consistent with relevant long-term knowledge—rather than striving for global coherence across all beliefs.
THE IDEA
Implications for Conceptual Structure
Associationists and rule-based theorists tend to have different views concerning the determinants and extent of conceptual coherence. Associationists tend to believe that our beliefs are usually consistent with each other because they reflect the world and the world is necessarily coherent, for it must obey the laws of nature. People may have contradictory beliefs because different aspects of our experience may provide evidence for opposing views. Our experience in the home may suggest that people tend to be generous but our experience on the highway may suggest that people tend to be selfish. On this view, coherence is a property of concepts by virtue and to the extent that experience in the world is coherent.
Rule-based theorists tend to believe that we possess a more potent urge for coherence. Rules can reflect structure in the world as well as conform to their own syntax and semantics, which may impose further structure. Any formal calculus of belief embodies assumptions about which beliefs are consistent with each other. Thus, rules enforce their own principles of coherence and, accordingly, rule-based theorists tend to believe that people try to conform. Some of them (e.g., Keil, 1989; Murphy, 1993) imply that people try to construct a global rule-based theory that causes them to try to be globally coherent in their everyday lives (and not just when doing philosophy or science).
Allowing humans to be both associationists and rule-governed suggests a way to reconcile these views. People may have an urge for coherence, but that urge is for local coherence. Rules are applied in such a way that current explanations, the temporary contents of working memory, are internally consistent and consistent with the long-term knowledge deemed relevant. For the most part, people can rely on the world to maintain coherence across situations (unless our perceptions are terribly distorted). Because they reflect objects and events in the world fairly directly, the associative system can do some of that work.
When to use it
A manager implements a new policy; employees initially resist because their past experiences (local coherence) contradict the rule. Understanding local coherence helps tailor communication to bridge the gap.
When learning a new subject, a student may temporarily hold inconsistent ideas from different sources. Recognizing local coherence encourages them to build a consistent framework step by step.
In cross-cultural interactions, people may apply different social rules that are locally coherent with their own culture, leading to misunderstandings. Awareness of local coherence can foster empathy and adaptation.
A therapist helps a client identify that their self-critical thoughts are locally coherent with certain past experiences, but not globally true, aiding cognitive restructuring.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Conflicting experiences of generosity
Experience at home suggests people are generous, but experience on the highway suggests they are selfish. Associationists explain this as the world being coherent in different contexts, while local coherence explains that a person may hold both beliefs without global revision because each belief is locally consistent with its context.
Scientific vs. everyday reasoning
A scientist may use rule-based theories to maintain global coherence in their research, but when driving, they rely on associative memories (e.g., 'highway drivers are selfish') that are locally coherent with that situation, not needing to reconcile it with their general theory of human nature.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Can you recall a time when you held contradictory beliefs about the same topic in different contexts? How does local coherence explain that?
How might local coherence help in resolving conflicts between intuitive (associative) and analytical (rule-based) thinking?
In what ways does relying on the world to maintain coherence across situations simplify everyday decision-making?
Often confused with
References
- Keil, F. C. (1989). Concepts, Kinds, and Cognitive Development. — Frank C. Keil (1989)
- Murphy, G. L. (1993). Theories and concepts. — Gregory L. Murphy (1993)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Heuristics and Biases The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment (Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman)