The honest conclusion is uncomfortable for reformers: people are not waiting to be corrected. The mind that evolved for small groups and immediate dangers is now asked to manage a pension. It does its best. Put a number on memory and it becomes a target; put a target on it and the number stops meaning what it meant. The usual story is that we are careless calculators. The better story is that we are careful about the wrong things.
Where the model breaks
The honest conclusion is uncomfortable for reformers: people are not waiting to be corrected. The measure that matters is not what people say about memory but what they do when nobody is scoring. The remedy is rarely exhortation. It is a change to the situation so that the easier choice is also the better one. Ask most people why they did what they did and they will give you a reason; ask them again a week later and the reason will have quietly changed.
