Is Generalization Decay a Fundamental Law of Psychology?

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AI-generated summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-15

The paper proposes that psychological generalizations decay due to the metastable nature of human behavior and limited observational time, suggesting this decay is a fundamental law rather than a solvable problem.

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Abstract

Generalizations strengthen in traditional sciences, but in psychology (and social and behavioral sciences, more generally) they decay. This is usually viewed as problem requiring solution, but it could be viewed as a law-like phenomenon. Generalization decay cannot be squelched because human behavior is metastable and all behavioral data collected thus far have resulted from a thin sliver of human time.

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