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Heuristics: Difference between revisions
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'''A cognitive heuristic | |||
'''A cognitive heuristic is like a brain hack we use to make decisions or solve problems quickly. While these shortcuts can help us think faster, they can also make us jump to conclusions or make mistakes.''' They simplify information processing by employing rules of thumb or general guidelines, which can lead to systematic deviations from rational judgment. | |||
A simple example is imagine you're trying to figure out if it'll rain tomorrow. Instead of checking the weather forecast, you just look out the window today and think, "''Well, it's sunny today, so it'll probably be sunny tomorrow too''." This mental shortcut is a cognitive heuristic. You're basing tomorrow's weather on what you see today, even though that's not always accurate. | |||
Due to the energy frugal brain, a lot of our every day thinking is littered with these heuristics, here are a few of the most important to look out for: | |||
== Anchoring == | == Anchoring == | ||
A famous and very common heuristic is called the | A famous and very common heuristic is called the ‘''Anchoring effect''’. This suggests that the first piece of information we get is weighed much more heavily in our decision making process than subsequent pieces of information – regardless of their actual relative importance. You might know this as ‘first impressions’. | ||
A simple example is imagine you're shopping for a shirt, and you see one originally priced at $100, but it's on sale for $50. You might think it's a great deal because you're comparing the sale price to the original price. This is the anchoring effect. You're "anchored" to that first number you saw ($100) and use it as a reference point to judge the value of the sale price. Even if the shirt is not worth $50, you might still buy it because it seems like a big discount from the original price. This is a very common [[Dark Pattern|dark pattern]] used in marketing. | |||
== Availability == | == Availability == | ||
[[File:Availability heuristic.jpg|alt=Availability heuristic|thumb|Things that are easier to remember become mor e important.]] | [[File:Availability heuristic.jpg|alt=Availability heuristic|thumb|Things that are easier to remember become mor e important.]] | ||