Thinking Fast and Slow

In anticipation of our Feb. 22, 2012 ASET book club, I will be blogging on our book - Thinking Fast and Slow. Today - Part 1 - Two Systems.


Chapter 1 - 2 systems lays out the framework for analysis in the book. Kahneman describes System 1 as the automatic, reflexive element of our thinking and System 2 is the reflective, critical element of thinking. I find this model useful as I ponder the often paradoxical behavior of us all in trying to understand the world through a set of beliefs. This first chapter shows the power of belief in fostering illusion - the famous Muller-Lyer illusion (2 identical lines with differing tails) are presented - our view of the world can and is shaped in ways that conflict with reality. I found the description of cognitive illusion helpful, and perhaps pessimistic, in thinking about the ability to move beyond belief in action. Kahneman correctly writes:

The premise of this book is that it is easier to recognize other people's mistakes than our own. (28)

Chapter 2 - Attention and Effort.

System 1 is characterized by intuitions and impulses and System 2 is the area of effort and self control. Page 35 is a great analogy of system 2 as a circuit breaker and attention/effort/energy is focused on the complex and critical cognitive effort - Attention and Effort was the author's book on cognitive pulillometry.

System 2 tasks

Simultaneously maintain in memory several ideas that require separate action.

Combinations that require rules

Switching from one task to another

Chapter 3 - The Lazy Controller. System 2 prefers automatic pilot work of System 1 to conserve energy and has a natural speed of work or effort that is preferred.

Self control and deliberate thought draw on a limited budget of effort.

System 1 has more influence when System 2 is busy.

Intelligence, control and rationality

Chapter 4 The Associative Machine

Responses that are associatively coherent. Hume

Resemblance
Contiguity in time and place
causality

Banana Vomit


Associative thinking is subconscious, below our awareness.

Priming

SO_P

is it soup or is is soap

Money as a primer - page 55

Chapter 5 - Cognitive Ease


Illusions of remembering (60)

Illusions of truth (61)

Chapter 6 Norms, Surprises, and Causes

Great line and Danny Kaye quote (79) A Machine for Jumping to Conclusions - system 1.

Believing is a system 1 activity, unbelieving is a system 2 activity. (81) Confirmation bias is deeply ingrained and it goes against nature to test a hypothesis by disproving rather than proving.

Key point - page 86 coherence seeking system 1 and lazy system 2 leads to system 2 endorsing intuitive beliefs.

Chapter 8 How Judgments Happen Key chapter on interaction between systems 1 and 2, the environment, and formation of judgments. Unconsciously we work to conserve cognitive effort and, using ease, repetition we develop a narrative or story (89) in system 1 intuitively.

Basic judgments - judge politicians - judgment heuristic to answer an easy question, not the hard one that misses the mark.

Chapter 9 Answering an easier question.