{"id":2018,"slug":"rule-r7-read-off-screen-beats-recall","title":"R7 — When the owner can read a number off a screen, have them do so","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["self-report-validity","observable-proxies-for-judgment"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** When the answer is a number the owner can observe on a screen (GBP review count, own analytics, live SERP), instruct the owner to look — not estimate.\n\n**Why:** Junco 2013 ([[junco-2013-facebook-self-report-overestimate]]) — recalled counts overstate by ~5.6x in a representative validation study. Imboden 2023 ([[imboden-2023-self-employment-income-divergence]]) — even revenue, the most \"obvious\" number, doubles when self-reported. The cure is to remove recall entirely.\n\n**How to apply:** \"Open your Google Business Profile in a new tab and count the reviews.\" \"Search for <service> in <city> and tell us how many businesses appear above you.\" Where technically cheap, the widget should FETCH the data directly (Brief 1 Stage 3 recommendation).","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"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"},{"slug":"imboden-2023-self-employment-income-divergence","title":"Imboden 2023 (US Census/IRS) — survey self-employment income roughly DOUBLE the admin figure","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"},{"slug":"gigerenzer-juslin-frequency-framing-calibration","title":"Gigerenzer/Juslin 1991-1994 — frequency framing reduces overconfidence (with Griffin-Tversky 1992 critique)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.087Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.087Z"}