{"id":2015,"slug":"rule-r4-recent-distinctive-events","title":"R4 — Ask about recent, distinctive events — not vague aggregates","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["self-report-validity","survey-question-design"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Frame retrieval questions around recent, distinctive events. Do NOT ask vague-lifetime or aggregate-frequency questions.\n\n**Why:** Recall literature ([[tourangeau-rips-rasinski-2000-four-stage-model]]) — accuracy depends on event properties: recent + significant + distinctive events are recalled far more accurately than distant, routine, or vague ones. Junco 2013 ([[junco-2013-facebook-self-report-overestimate]]) shows ~5.6x overstatement when respondents must aggregate over recall.\n\n**How to apply:** Ask \"When was your most recent review?\" (specific, distinctive) NOT \"How often do you get reviews?\" (vague aggregate). Ask \"When did you last update content?\" NOT \"How frequently do you post?\"","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"tourangeau-rips-rasinski-2000-four-stage-model","title":"Tourangeau, Rips & Rasinski (2000) — the four-stage response model","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"junco-2013-facebook-self-report-overestimate","title":"Junco 2013 — Facebook self-report overstates logged use by ~5.6x","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-capture-layer-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget capture layer — what owners can vs cannot self-report (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.061Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.061Z"}