Psychology: Thinking and decision making (cognitive processes), Dual Process Model and Experiments

What is the function of thinking?

To modify information that our perception has registered, and our

memory has encoded, stored and retrieved.

- Analyze: Break down information into lesser parts

- Synthesize: Bring different parts of information together

- Categorize: Relate pieces of information into certain categories

- Make conclusions and inferences

Unlike other cognitive functions, thinking produces new

information

What is decision making?

- Decision making is a cognitive process of identifying and choosing from alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision-maker.

- Closely linked to thinking as ANALYSIS required: Thinking is a prerequisite for any act of decision making.

- For the IB when discussing either decision making or problem-solving, you are also addressing the goals of understanding "thinking and decision making."

- Both are implicit processes like memory that can't be directly observed and involve interaction between many factors.

- In your exams, these two will always 'be together'!

Are we sensible: why is assuming thinking to always be rational unrealistic?

Theories that assume thinking to always be rational are unrealistic in terms of making real life decisions, as they don't account for:

- Limited computational capacity

- Effects of emotions

- Goals other than accuracy ( e.g. supporting self-esteem, justifying decisions to others )

Since people cannot always think rationally, what do they use?

So people use shortcuts and simplified strategies: Heuristics ( mental-shortcut )

What are heuristics useful for and what can they lead to

- Heuristics allow for research: if there are a set of "faulty systems" people use, we can predict behavior in given situations

- Heuristics can be useful as they save us energy and are often based on "what worked well before"

- Heuristics lead to cognitive biases

What does the Dual process model of thinking explain? name the twos things

The Dual Process Model of Thinking explains that people use two different systems to think and make decisions:

- System 1

- System 2

Describe system 1 and system 2 from the dual process model of thinking

System 1 ( Intuitive thinking )

- Focuses on what it sees, ignores absent evidence

- Bases decisions on previous knowledge and experience (e.g. schemas)

- Quick but prone to errors

- Generates impressions

- Takes short-cuts called heuristics

- Operates automatically

System 2 ( Rational thinking )

- Requires concentration and effort

- Works with abstract concepts and uses logic

- Conscious reasoning

- Reliable but slow

What is Kahneman's (2003) proposal for the systems?

Kahneman's (2003) proposal for the systems:

System 1: Fast, instinctive, emotional, automatic and relatively unconscious

- Developed as an adaptive reasoning mechanism, based on survival instinct and prior experience

- Used in majority of common situations

System 2: Slower, more analytical, logical, rule-based and

conscious

- Evolved later with the development of language and abstract reasoning

- Allows for deeper analyses and to overcome automatic responses

- Used in unusual situations and when automatic response seems problematic

What are common causes of intuitive thinking?

- Focus on a limited amount of available information

--> cognitive load

- Sensory memory has a short duration, so we need to PAYATTENTION to things that go to our short term memory: We need to pick what we pay attention to in order to process further.

--> This is SELECTIVE ATTENTION.

Selective attention is mediated by existing expectations, i.e. information passes through our schemas, which may distort information or filter out certain aspects or details.

- If two routes result in the same outcome (i.e. decision being made), we choose the easier route

What is cognitive load?

Cognitive load refers to the amount of information that the active part of human memory can handle at a given moment.