The ‘Two-Minds’ Model

Abstract

Abstract The main idea of this chapter is that cognition is accomplished in two ways: fast, automatic and unconscious (known as ‘Type 1 processing); slow, deliberate, and conscious (‘Type 2’). Human beings have, metaphorically speaking, ‘two minds in one brain’ (known as ‘dual-process theory’). Various nomenclatures are used, e.g., ‘System 1’ (the intuitive system) and ‘System 2’ (the analytical system), ‘old mind’ and ‘new mind’ (which reflects their evolutionary origins, etc.). Conflict and cooperation between the two systems is discussed and debated. One dual-process theory in particular, regarded by some as a landmark contribution, is singled out for attention: Seymour Epstein’s ‘Cognitive-Experiential Theory’ (CET). The applications of dual-processing in business are discussed. The chapter concludes with the debate about when should intuitive (System 1) processing be trusted. Guidelines for when to go with your gut are provided based on a distinction between ‘kind learning structures’/‘high-validity environments’, which build good intuitions, and ‘wicked learning structures’/‘low-validity environments’, which do not.