SMaRT: Understanding responses to inconsistency using sense motivation and response theory

Being confronted with inconsistencies between associations and reality is a frequent occurrence in people's day-to-day lives. Drawing from and integrating research on learning, evolutionary psychology, and threat-compensation, sense motivation and response theory (SMaRT) suggests that people have a need for the sensical . That is, for their experiences to be coherent with the expectations formed in their associative networks. When inconsistencies arise, a sense violation occurs and epistemic anxiety is experienced. People are consequently motivated to assuage this anxiety. This is done in a dynamic hierarchical manner, where direct resolution is initially preferred with progressively more general responses subsequently occurring. SMaRT synthesizes a variety of threat-compensation theories into a parsimonious but not overly reductionist explanation. It further suggests that responses to inconsistencies are not purely palliative, but that they are (at least initially) evolved adaptations to enhance learning and understanding, which links to evolved cultural knowledge. The discussion suggests novel predictions derived from SMaRT and the advantages of adopting such an integrative perspective. • Sense Motivation and Response Theory (SMaRT) integrates learning, evolutionary psychology, and threat-compensation research • SMaRT suggests that people have a need for the sensical • Nonsensical experiences lead to epistemic anxiety and a dynamic hierarchical response • Responses initially enhanced our understanding of the world and cultural knowledge and are adaptive in nature