Name: fast vs. careful decision making
Uploaded: 2020-02-12T11:07:42.000Z
Duration: 1 min 37 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

High School

Specialised Topic in Science

112.51.c.4.

112.51.c.4.A.

Reason and Intuition

People may believe that they almost always make rational decisions, even though this mode of thinking would be mentally exhausting.

Based on a number of scientific studies, researchers have suggested that there are &ldquo;two minds&rdquo;, or two systems of thought, that guide responses.

One, the intuitive system, operates quickly and automatically, with minimal effort. The process of intuition is the mind &ldquo;seeing&rdquo; an answer in the absence of explicit reasoning. In other words, it&rsquo;s as if the person were on autopilot&mdash;simply going with the flow.

Consequently, intuitive decisions seem like efficient shortcuts, as they can draw upon previous and similar experiences. However, relying on these mental operations&mdash;referred to as heuristics&mdash;can lead to biased or incorrect judgments.

If instead, he had used the second system, the rational system, he would make his decision slowly and deliberately and could potentially override any intuitive answers. After all, this system must outline the logical steps of a particular choice, which requires much more effort and cognitive demand in the process.

In novel situations, such reasoning and rational thinking make sense. He&rsquo;s never shopped during busy hours befo

reason and intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The&nbsp;intuitive system&nbsp;is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the&nbsp;rational system&nbsp;is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use one system at a time for processing information (Darlow &amp; Sloman, 2010) and that the two systems are directed by different parts of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is more involved in the rational system, and the basal ganglia and amygdala (more primitive parts of the brain, from an evolutionary perspective) are more involved in the intuitive system.

Intuitive Decision-Making

We tend to assume that the logical, analytical route leads to superior decisions, but whether this is accurate depends on the situation. The quick, intuitive route can be lifesaving; when we suddenly feel intense fear, a fight-or-flight response kicks in that leads to immediate action without methodically weighing all possible options and their consequences. Additionally, individuals can often make decisions very quickly because experience or expertise has taught them what to do in a given situation. As a result, they might not be able to explain the logic behind their decision and will instead say they just went with their &ldquo;gut,&rdquo; or did what &ldquo;felt&rdquo; right. Because they faced a similar situation in the past and figured out how to deal with it, the brain shifts immediately to the quick, intuitive decision-making system.

Rational Decision-Making

However, the quick route is not always the best decision-making path to take. When faced with novel and complex situations, it is better to process available information logically, analytically, and methodically. Someone may need to think about whether a situation requires serious thought prior to making a decision. It is especially important to pay attention to your emotions, because strong emotions can make it difficult to process information rationally. This response is why it&rsquo;s often best to wait and address a volatile situation after emotions have calmed down. Intense emotions&mdash;whether positive or negative&mdash;tend to pull us toward the quick, reactive route of decision-making. Have you ever made a large &ldquo;impulse&rdquo; purchase that you were excited about, only to regret it later? This speaks to the power our emotions exert on our decision-making. Big decisions should generally not be made impulsively, but reflectively.

This text is adapted from <a href="https://cnx.org/contents/LZQauaxb@5.7:Q7hoUde6@5/6-2-How-the-Brain-Processes-Information-to-Make-Decisions-Reflective-and-Reactive-Systems" target="_blank">OpenStax, Organizational Behavior. OpenStax CNX.</a>

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized ...

Education

JoVE Core

Social Psychology

Foundations of Social Psychology

Social Judgement and Decision-Making

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

fast vs. careful decision making

The brain uses fast and careful decision-making to choose what to do next. The fast route is intuitive. The careful route is rational. These two systems are also known as System 1 and System 2.

The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and low effort. It often relies on emotions or habits as cues. The rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests the brain uses only one system at a time when it processes information.

These systems also involve different parts of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is more involved in rational thinking. The basal ganglia and amygdala, which are older brain areas in evolutionary terms, are more involved in intuitive thinking. This helps explain why the two routes can lead to different kinds of decisions.

The fast route can be useful in urgent situations. A sudden fear response can trigger fight-or-flight behavior and lead to immediate action. It can also help when experience or expertise has already taught a person what to do. In those cases, people may say they trusted their gut or followed what felt right.

The careful route is better for new and complex situations. In those cases, it helps to think through the available information in a logical and methodical way. It is also important to notice emotions, because strong feelings can make rational processing harder. For that reason, volatile situations are often best handled after emotions calm down.

Intense emotions can push people toward quick, reactive choices. This can happen with both positive and negative feelings. A large impulse purchase is one example, especially if excitement leads to regret later. Big decisions are usually better made reflectively instead of impulsively.

Fast vs. Careful Decision Making

The brain uses fast and careful decision-making to choose what to do next. The fast route is intuitive. The careful route is rational. These two systems are also known as System 1 and System 2. The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and low effort. It often relies on emotions or habits as cues. The rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests the brain uses only one system at a time when it processes information. These systems...

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confirmation biases

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Confirmation bias in social judgments is the tendency to notice information that supports an existing belief and to ignore information that does not match it. This bias can shape how people judge others, especially when they already expect a certain outcome. A simple example is a student who thinks a professor is unfriendly. That student may focus on rude moments and overlook the many pleasant interactions the professor has during the day. The result is a one-sided view that seems to prove the...

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Message framing shapes how people judge information and make decisions. The same facts can lead to different responses depending on how they are presented. That can mean the wording, the order, or the time frame of the message. One major group is valence framing, which uses positive and negative wording. Levin and colleagues described three forms of this framing. Risky-choice framing, first shown by Tversky and Kahneman, demonstrates that people may choose differently when the same problem is...

key terms and concepts

Explore how fast, intuitive thinking and careful, rational thinking shape decisions, from fight-or-flight responses to big choices made under strong emotions.

Fast vs. Careful Decision Making | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Social Psychology offers a comprehensive learning experience on the principles of social behavior through concise, animated video lessons. The series explores key topics such as self-concept, social cognition, group dynamics, stereotypes, and relationships. It provides a structured foundation for understanding human behavior in social situations. Students gain insights into how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts while examining the psychological processes that influence interactions and judgments. By integrating theory with real-world applications, these lessons offer a clear and engaging approach to mastering essential concepts in social psychology.

social psychology

Florida Department of Education

Nature of Science

SC.912.N.4

SC.912.N.4.1

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Fast vs. Careful Decision Making

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