Psychology

How does intuitive thinking work? Is there a mechanism behind the way we arrive at intuitive, seemingly unexplainable insights or is it all just a fluke? Typically, we think about intuition as a “gut feeling.” However, intuitive thinking is not all that mysterious. Just because we can’t pinpoint the logical sequence of how we arrived at an insight, it doesn’t mean there’s no mechanism behind its workings. Here is how intuitive thinking works.

What is outside-in thinking? How does it relate to forecasting and prediction-making? Outside-in thinking is the way of perspective-taking that draws information from the broader context first. Only after taking into account the bigger picture, the particular details of a situation are considered. Read about outside-in thinking, as it relates to forecasting.

What is belief perseverance? Why do people find it so hard to give up their beliefs even in the face of contradictory evidence? Belief perseverance is the tendency to maintain a belief in spite of evidence that firmly contradicts it. It is difficult to overcome, especially when it comes to beliefs that are tied to our self-image. Read about the dangers of belief perseverance.

What is attribute substitution? Why does it happen and how does it skew our judgment? Attribute substitution is an underlying psychological process of a number of cognitive heuristics and perceptual illusions. It occurs when people are faced with a computationally complex judgment, and because of its complexity, they reframe the problem into a more easily calculated attribute. Read about attribute substitution and what it means.