A naturalistic decision making perspective on studying intuitive decision making

Abstract

The Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) community defines intuition as based on large numbers of patterns gained through experience, resulting in different forms of tacit knowledge. This view contrasts with Fast and Frugal Heuristics (FFH) researchers, who view intuition in terms of general purpose heuristics. The NDM view also differs from the Heuristics and Biases (HB) community, which sees intuitions as a source of bias and error. Seven suggestions are offered to assist the FFH and H&B communities in improving intuitive decision making and in conducting research that has greater potential for application.Rather than trying to help people analyze which option to choose, the NDM community recommends that intuitions be strengthened by providing a broader experience base that lets people build better tacit knowledge, such as perceptual skills and richer mental models, as a means of achieving better decisions.