Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 3.5 Dual Process Cognitive System Characteristics
Intuitive System
Reflective/Reasoning System
(System 1) “Gut”
(System 2) “Head”
Automatic
Controlled
Effortless
Effortful
Rapid
Slow
Associative
Deductive
3.3.1 Cognitive Operations When Assessing Risk:
“
This is Your Brain on Risk
”
An individual's decision making is governed by two main systems, traditionally
called
intuition
and
reason
. They are formally categorized as
system 1
and
system
2
in what is called
dual-process theory
(see Table 3.5). System 1 is our ancient
intuitive process that is quick and effortless. System 2 is our rational or reflective
process that is controlled, slow, calculating, and effortful. It is sometimes easier
to think of these in the common vernacular such as when folks say, “I used my
gut
instinct” or “I followed my
head
, not my heart on this decision” [22,23].
The systems generally work interactively, although both systems are not
“applied to every problem a person confronts nor (does) each system have
an” exclusivity on the problem. The systems overlap, but the amount of
overlap “differ(s) depending on the individual reasoner's knowledge, skill, and
experience” [24].
These systems assist, monitor, and control our judgments under uncertainty
(a fancy way to say: our decisions about what is risky and what is not). How
we make the decisions are controlled by what are called
heuristics and biases
.
Heuristics are rules of thumb and internal automatic settings (see Table 3.6 for a
select list of heuristics). They are unconscious controls that can be both inherent
as well as learned through experience [25]. Biases are tendencies we all use to
weigh and adjust our initial intuitive judgments. They are based on many factors
including our culture. Biases are cues available to us in different forms that cause
us to give too much or not enough weight to a given piece of information when
making risk-based decisions. The systems generally work quite well, although
they can also be a significant source of error in our risk decision-making ability
and can cloud our perceptions of risk because of our heuristics and biases.
The dual processes of decision making and the underlying heuristics and per-
sonal and group biases that assist in their governance have a profound impact on
the implementation of the risk management system. It also means that defining
risk can be quite personal and there is generally a significant difference between
what the general population perceives as a high risk compared to what thesubject
matter experts perceive (called lay-expert bias).
There are a number of common-sense factors that impact and direct our per-
ceptions or risks. One of the key factors in the perception of a risk is whether
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