Dual Processing Models Flashcards
Dual process models
- Includes automatic cognitive processes that happen outside of conscious awareness
- Dual: Includes ignored reasoned processes
Frequent repetition
- If something is familiar, it is hard to distinguish from truth, even if false
- We absorb and believe
Heuristics
- Mental shortcut allowing people to make decisions quickly, even if incorrect
- We use them to reduce task complexity of our thinking, judgement, and choice
Biases
- The resulting gaps between normative and heuristically determined behaviour
- Gap between what we actually do and heuristics
- They are important and influence us!
Cognitive Biases
-Systematic errors in judgement (the ways we think) based on heuristics
Confirmation Bias
- Happens when we have preconception/hypothesis about an issue
- We tend to favour information that corresponds with prior beliefs and disregard contrary evidence
- We search, code, and interpret information consistent with our assumptions
- Confirms our own beliefs–> this is truth because what I see matches what I believe
- Ties into our ego –> we search for what we believe in
Health behaviour confirmation bias
- Think about things you do/don’t enjoy doing
- E.g. don’t want COVID vaccine so search for information to support against the vaccine
Hindsight Bias
- People evaluate events after they occurred and judge it as more predictable than it was before it happened
- “I KNEW this was going to happen”
Health behaviour hindsight bias
- “I am currently in this health state because I knew what would happen if I didn’t do this”
- Others use this to affect our health and motivation –> “I told you this would happen if you did that”
Bias Blindspot
-We recognize others’ bias but not how we are personally biased
Automatic processing
- System 1
- Automatic: memory activated association
- Fast: brain operating quickly (10-15ms)
- Low cognitive effort: not spending mental energy for processes to happen
Reasoned Processing
- System 2
- Deliberative: Choosing to think
- Slow: Taking time to think (<1 second)
- High cognitive effort: thinking is hard work and it takes effort to choose
“Humans are lazy thinkers” means…
- We default to System 1 and tend to make decisions form it
- We default to heuristics and biases and do things without thinking why we are doing them
Habits
- Default response unless there is motivation to change behaviour
- Behaviour done with little thinking that occur by repeatedly performing a goal-directed behaviour in the same context
- e.g. Taking stairs instead of elevator (Behavioural habit)
How do habits develop?
With intermittent reinforcement and repetition
Intermittent reinforcement
You keep coming back because an unknown. (e.g. slot machines)
When do we use habits?
- When stressed or have impaired executive functioning
- Stress = less ability to cope and think
Impaired executive functioning
- Our ability to think
- e.g. Self regulatory processes, ability to stop and think about goals
How do habits change?
- Habits don’t become less strong
- We get better at being able to say No or change/increase our cognitive control
- Increased abilities (e.g. self regulatory processes)
- We can work to try to control it
- First step is knowing what context it is happening in and why you are doing it/why it is affecting you
Do people know of their habitual behaviour?
- People are likely aware of habitual behaviour but unaware of triggering cues
- e.g. Not thinking about how a grocery store is lad out
The Reflective Impulsive Model
- Impulsive = System 1
- Reflective/Reasoned = System 2
- it is always back and forth; our emotions operate automatically
- E.g. you can have an automatic negative association of exercise as unpleasant but become persuaded that it is fun and then choose to bet active
Automatic Processes
- Associations in memory
- Result of the interaction between pre-existing associations and current external inputs
- If we see things repeated or paired often/ in certain contexts, we associate them in our long term memories (not front of mind/working memories)
Reflective processes
- AKA Reasoned responses
- Reasoning about the validity of automatically activated associations
- Stopping to think about something
- Something brought to front of mind but you stop to think if it is actually true/ whether you believe the bias or stereotype
- Take the time to think
- System 2
Automatic Processes that influence our health behaviours
- Habits
- Impulses
- Affect