HRCC Fast/Slow Thinking (Dual Process Theory)

This set of 55 vocabulary flashcards covers Dual-Process Theory (System 1/2), heuristics, Prospect Theory, and various cultural and evolutionary cognitive determinants based on lecture notes.

System $1$ (Type $1$)

A thinking system characterized as automatic, intuitive, effortless, and associative.

System $2$ (Type $2$)

A thinking system characterized as controlled, effortful, rule-based, and requires working memory.

Dual-Process Theory (Modern Update)

The view that identifying features of thinking systems are autonomy versus control rather than speed, where Type $1$ is autonomous and Type $2$ requires working memory.

TASS

Stands for Autonomous Set of Systems; it clarifies that Type $1$ is not a single system but a collection of automatic processes.

Cognitive Decoupling

The ability to separate reality from hypothetical representations, enabling mental simulation and reasoning about "what if" scenarios.

Mental Simulation

A uniquely human ability enabled by Type $2$ thinking used to imagine possibilities.

Lazy Monitor

A phenomenon where System $2$ checks System $1$ but often fails to intervene, accepting intuitive answers without verification.

Bat-and-ball problem

A classic example of an error occurring when the Lazy Monitor fails to override a System $1$ intuition.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that specifically utilize attribute substitution to simplify decision-making.

Attribute substitution

The process of replacing a difficult question with an easier one, such as using fear to judge risk.

Cross-dimensional mapping

The process of mapping the intensity of one domain, like emotional outrage, to a value in another domain, like monetary punishment.

Suppressor variables

Variables that are ignored by the mind but distort judgment, such as atmospheric haze affecting distance perception.

Representativeness Heuristic

A cognitive shortcut where people judge the probability of an event based on how similar it is to a prototype, often leading to faulty conclusions.

Availability Heuristic

A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision, often leading to overestimation of trends.

Anchoring Bias

A cognitive bias where an individual relies too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions, leading to skewed judgments.

Conjunction Bias

A cognitive bias where people incorrectly overestimate the likelihood of the union of two events based on their representativeness, rather than considering the individual probabilities.

Disjunction Bias

A cognitive bias where people underestimate the likelihood of two independently occurring events when evaluating their combined occurrence, often due to reliance on heuristics that favor individual event assessments.

Regression to the mean

The statistical phenomenon where extreme values return to the average, often misinterpreted as punishment being effective and reward being ineffective.

Prospect Theory

A descriptive model stating people evaluate outcomes relative to a reference point rather than absolute value.

Rational utility maximizers

The traditional economic assumption of human behavior that Prospect Theory argues is inaccurate.

Loss-sensitive

A key tenet of Prospect Theory describing how humans react more strongly to potential losses than absolute utility gains.

Framing Bias

A cognitive bias where people make decisions based on how information is presented, rather than just on the information itself.

Types

Concepts representing specific cognitive systems ($1$ and $2$) as opposed to modes of thinking.

Modes

Concepts representing specific thinking styles as opposed to cognitive systems.

Cognitive Control

The core factor that determines whether thinking is engaged beyond simple fast or slow processing.

Ecological rationality

Gigerenzer's theory that heuristics are not always errors but can be adaptive, robust, and effective tools.

Robustness of Heuristics

The quality of simple shortcuts that allows them to outperform complex models in certain environments.

Biases

The result of heuristics being used as shortcuts, leading to systematic errors in judgment.

Adaptive Tools

A view of heuristics as sophisticated strategies that are responsive to environmental demands, enhancing decision-making effectiveness.

Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT)

A tool used to measure an individual's ability to override intuition; low scores suggest metacognitive failure.

Metacognitive failure

A failure in self-monitoring where an individual thinks a problem is easy and fails to detect cognitive conflict.

Metacognitive disadvantage

A trait of low scorers on the CRT who do not recognize the need for System $2$ intervention.

Cultural cognition

Varnum's framework identifying differences between analytic and holistic thinking styles based on culture.

Analytic style

A Western thinking style characterized by a focus on objects and rules.

Holistic style

An Eastern thinking style characterized by a focus on context and relationships.

Error Management Theory (EMT)

The idea that cognitive biases are adaptive because they minimize costly errors rather than maximizing absolute accuracy.

Sexual overperception bias

A cognitive bias where individuals overestimate the sexual interest of others, often leading to misinterpretations of social cues; an example of cognitive bias on individual differences and adaptive mechanisms in EMT.

Costly errors

The specific type of negative outcome that Error Management Theory suggests cognitive biases help to avoid.

Autonomous

The modern defining feature of Type $1$ thinking.

Working memory reliance

The modern defining feature of Type $2$ thinking.

Attribute replacement example

Changing "How risky is this?" to "How scary does it feel?" during attribute substitution.

Cross-dimensional example

Converting the intensity of outrage into a monetary value for punishment.

Suppressor Variable example

Atmospheric haze distorting the perceived distance to an object.

Misinterpretation of Regression

The false belief that punishment improves performance and reward degrades it, ignoring the natural return to the average.

Conflict Detection

A metacognitive process that high CRT scorers perform but low CRT scorers fail at.