Aftrekt

Aftrekt is a term used in cognitive science to describe a delayed belief revision process in which individuals update their beliefs or attitudes after a period of reflection following exposure to new information, rather than immediately. The coinage is a portmanteau of “after” and a root associated with reframing or reactivity, reflecting the post-exposure nature of the effect. As of 2025, aftrekt is not yet standardized in peer-reviewed theory and remains more common in informal discussions and exploratory studies.

In research contexts, aftrekt is examined by comparing participants’ belief states at two points: immediately after information presentation and after a delay that permits reflection or social processing. Findings suggest that certain information prompts rapid initial judgments, but subsequent processing leads to additional revisions, sometimes aligning with later feedback or group discussion. The magnitude of change varies across domains such as risk assessment, political attitudes, and consumer preferences. Proposed mechanisms include memory consolidation, metacognitive re-evaluation, and social validation.

Measurement approaches include a delayed belief-change score, termed the aftrekt index (AI), combining latency to update, magnitude of shift, and cross-domain consistency. Researchers emphasize distinguishing aftrekt from related processes like cognitive dissonance reduction, belief revision, and planned changes in response to post hoc reasoning.

Critics note overlap with established concepts and caution against over-claiming novelty. The term remains informal, and its utility largely depends on the development of clear definitions and replication across contexts. See also cognitive dissonance, belief revision, postdiction.