Slow Thinking Research Articles

The unseen but felt.

The real perception of the state of being can sometimes deceive the concrete abilities of our 5 senses. “The unseen but felt” is a 24 × 24-inch mixed media on canvas created by artist Nadia Al-Khun. The artwork dives deeply into the minds of individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and reflects on their various memories, flamboyant dreams, joyful moments in life, endless ambitions, and hopes for a cure (figure). This vibrant piece of art uncloaks the degree of uncertainty that accompanies the diagnosis of MS and its concealed symptoms such as fatigue, pain, dizziness, depression, slowed thinking, and memory difficulties.

Hoe kunnen we leren te filosoferen?

Abstract How can we learn to philosophize? Classroom teaching in philosophy in secondary education has two aims: learning the names and positions of the great philosophers, and doing philosophy or real ‘philosophizing’. In this article doing philosophy is seen as training in specific ‘thinking skills’ that provides ‘slow thinking’ in the classroom. A Dutch model of these philosophical thinking skills is presented consisting of four categories of thinking skills which are derived from classical philosophical methods as phenomenology, hermeneutics, dialectics and analytical philosophy. Slow thinking can be reached when: a) these categories of thinking skills are trained successfully, b) the training in analytical thinking skills is followed by a fifth category of thinking skills in which a conclusion or decision must be formulated as well as the reason for the conclusion. Analysis shows that four of the five thinking skills are clearly recognizable in the dialogue Laches of Plato.

Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: A prospective cohort study

PurposeThis study aims to describe the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and compare ADRs to the individual drugs when given as monotherapy. MethodPaediatric patients (≤18 years old) were enrolled for this prospective observational study over a 6-month period, between September 2015 and March 2016. Adverse reactions to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were elicited at the time of enrolment and after 3 months using the Paediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire. ResultsA total of 1139 suspected ADRs were reported in 124 participants. Eighteen different AEDs were prescribed. Sixty-six children (53%) were receiving AED monotherapy at the time of recruitment; 34/66 (52%) of whom received new generation AEDs. Levetiracetam was the most frequently prescribed AED (62/124, 50%). When only children receiving AED monotherapy were considered, fatigue, drowsiness, weight gain, dizziness were less likely with levetiracetam (p < .01). Slow thinking and decreased concentration were less likely with levetiracetam or carbamazepine than valproic acid (p < .05). Five patients (four on polytherapy) discontinued AED treatment due to ADRs and 2 had a dose reduction. ConclusionsLevetiracetam and carbamazepine were better tolerated than sodium valproate.

Neuro Multiple Criteria Analysis System for University-Industry Partnerships

The EU RTD stresses the Europe 2020 objective that it “aims to support the development of a strong and sustainable industrial base able to innovate and compete globally”. University-industry partnerships should be sustained for inspiring up-to-date RTD, and industry-driven antecedences should be reinforced. The positioning by these authors had a solid accent on university-industry partnerships over the entire course of the ASCENT project to increase societal resilience to disasters. Collaboration appointments can appear in numerous forms and dimensions (career fairs, business advisors and affiliates, placements, conferences and meetings, project and university initiative support, program improvement, scholar fellowships, joint life cycle collaboration, RTD projects and product/service development). The forms and stages of partnership will fluctuate depending on the micro-, meso- and macro-levels of the environment. A founder of behavioral economics, Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman, asserts that two categories describe our thinking: fast thinking (first system) and slow thinking (second system). The foundation of the first system consists of emotions, impulses and exaggerated optimism. The first system does not require any great efforts; it operates practically automatically. Meanwhile the second thinking system is slow and analytical with an ability to control behavior and thoughts. Based on this idea, the author of this article developed the Neuro Multiple Criteria Analysis System for University-Industry Partnerships.

Fast and slow thinking in distressing delusions: A review of the literature and implications for targeted therapy

The recent literature on reasoning biases in psychosis and delusions is reviewed. The state-of-the-art knowledge from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the evidence for jumping to conclusions is briefly summarised, before a fuller discussion of the more recent empirical literature on belief flexibility as applied to delusions. The methodology and evidence in relation to studies of belief flexibility and the Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence (BADE) across the delusional continuum will be critically appraised, and implications drawn for improving cognitive therapy. It will be proposed that dual process models of reasoning, which Kahneman (Kahneman, 2011) popularised as ‘fast and slow thinking’, provide a useful theoretical framework for integrating further research and informing clinical practice. The emergence of therapies which specifically target fast and slow thinking in people with distressing delusions will be described.

Prescriptive portfolio selection: a compromise between fast and slow thinking

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a prescriptive portfolio selection (PPS) model based on a compromise between the idea of “fast” and “slow” thinking proposed by Kahneman.Design/methodology/approach“Fast” thinking is effortless and comfortable for investors, while “slow” thinking may result in better performance. These two systems are related to the first two types of analysis in the decision theory: descriptive, normative and prescriptive analysis. However, to compromise between “fast” and “slow” thinking, “overconfidence” is used as a weighting parameter. A case study including a sample of 161 active investors in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) is provided. Moreover, the feasibility and optimality of the model are discussed.FindingsResults show that the PPS recommendations are efficient with a shift from the mean-variance efficient frontier; investors prefer PPS portfolios over the advisor recommendations; and investors have no significant preference between PPS and their own expectations.Research limitations/implicationsTwo assumptions of this study include: first, investors follow their “fast” system of thinking by themselves. Second, the investors’ “slow” system of thinking is represented by advisor recommendations which are simple expected value of risk and return. Therefore, considering these two assumptions for any application is the main limitation of this study. Moreover, the authors did not have access to more investors in TSE or other financial markets.Originality/valueThis is the first study that includes overconfidence in modeling portfolio selection for the purpose of achieving a portfolio that has a reasonable performance and one that investors are comfortable with.

A computational model for the endogenous arousal of thoughts through Z*-numbers

Natural language provides a rich combinatorial mechanism for encoding meanings - a finite set of words can express an unbounded number of thoughts. Framed in 2015 to extend the purpose of Zadeh's Z-numbers, a Z*-number is a perceptual symbol of the meaning of a natural language expression and consequently mentalese – or internal speech. This article, through decomposition of the Z*-macro-parameters into its atomic constituents, presents a model for the endogenous arousal of thoughts during empathetic, bespoke comprehension of the real-world. Based on Minsky's Society of Mind, the framework is founded on the assimilation of multimodal experiences, a sense of ‘unified self’ and its derivatives (choice, interest, curiosity, etc.), objective and subjective components of knowledge, commonsense, and attention dynamics over a real-world scenario. The model attempts emulation of slow and fast thinking, instinctive reactions, learning, deliberation, reflection and self-conscious decisions. The design has been validated against human responses, and aims to contribute to the development of autonomous artificial systems for man-machine symbiosis.

Paul Virilio and the temporal conditions of philosophical thinking

Unlike the memes of popular digital culture, philosophical understanding accumulates through the patience of reflection on the long-term implications of human action. The paper will draw upon the recent work of Paul Virilio to explain the threat that the speeds of digital culture pose to philosophy, both as an institutionalised discipline of human inquiry with a just claim to public support, and as an intellectual practice with a just claim to public relevance. If Virilio is correct, the trajectory of technological development is towards the displacement of human decision making from all spheres of social life (political, economic, military, cultural, and technical-scientific) because human thought is too slow. Hence, there are moves towards eliminating the deliberative function of human thought in favour of pre-programmed algorithms that can trade a stock or fire a missile in immediate response to a pre-determined set of objective circumstances. Philosophy cannot keep pace. Since it is committed to an open-ended dialectic of interpretation, reason giving, critique, and rejoinder, its time frames are incompatible with immediate response, and would, if allowed to operate in politics or economics, impede the ‘efficient’ execution of routines. However, the ‘efficient’ execution of the dominant political and economic routines is undermining the conditions of life on the planet. Hence, the defence of slow philosophical thinking is at the same time the affirmation of a different temporality of life, politics, economics, and cultural interaction. Philosophy is not a luxury that humanity can no longer afford, but the vital necessity of historically informed intelligence the solution of our most pressing environmental and social problems requires more than ever.

Patagonia, A Case Study in the Historical Development of Slow Thinking

This article traces some of the historical roots of 'slow' through changes in ecology, design thinking and practice and implications for fashion and design histories. It sees 'slow', as present in ...

Thinking Fast and Slow in Computer Problem Solving

Research in spreadsheet management proved that the overuse of slow thinking, rather than fast thinking, is the primary source of erroneous end-user computing. However, we found that the reality is not that simple. To view end-user computing in its full complexity, we launched a project to investigate end-user education, training, support, activities, and computer problem solving. In this project we also set up the base and mathability-extended typology of computer problem solving approaches, where quantitative values are assigned to the different problem solving methods and activities. In this paper we present the results of our analyses of teaching materials collected in different languages from all over the world and our findings considering the different problem solving approaches, set in the frame of different thinking modes, the characteristics of expert teachers, and the meaning system model of teaching approaches. Based on our research, we argue that the proportions of fast and slow thinking and most importantly their manifestation are responsible for erroneous end-user activities. Applying the five-point mathability scale of computer problem solving, we recognized slow thinking activities on both tails and one fast thinking approach between them. The low mathability slow thinking activities, where surface navigation and language details are focused on, are widely accepted in end-user computing. The high mathability slow thinking problem solving activities, where the utilization of concept based approaches and schema construction take place, is hardly detectable in end-user activities. Instead of building up knowledge which requires slow thinking and then using the tools with fast thinking, end-users use up their slow thinking in aimless wandering in huge programs, making wrong decisions based on their untrained, clueless intuition, and distributing erroneous end-user documents. We also found that the dominance of low mathability slow thinking activities has its roots in the education system and through this we point out that we are in great need of expert teachers and institutions and their widely accepted approaches and methods.

Post-treatment with cotinine improved memory and decreased depressive-like behavior after chemotherapy in rats

Most cancer patients treated with systemic adjuvant chemotherapy endure long-lasting side effects including decrease in concentration, forgetfulness and slower thinking, which are globally termed "chemobrain." Cotinine, the main derivative of nicotine, improved visual and spatial working memory and decreased depressive-like behavior in an animal model of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment. In this study, we investigated the effect of cotinine on weight gain, locomotor activity, cognitive abilities and depressive-like behavior in rats treated with the chemotherapy mix, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. Locomotor activity and depressive-like behavior were assessed using the rotarod and Porsolt's tests, respectively. Changes in cognitive abilities were determined using the novel place recognition test. Female rats treated with cotinine after chemotherapy, recovered weight faster, showed superior cognitive abilities and lower levels of depressive-like behavior than chemotherapy, vehicle-treated rats. This evidence suggests that treatment with cotinine may facilitate the recovery and diminish the cognitive consequences of chemotherapy.

Problematic Use of Social Networking Sites: Antecedents and Consequence from a Dual-System Theory Perspective

Problematic use of social networking sites (SNS) and its adverse consequences have become prevalent, yet little is known about the conceptualization and etiology of problematic use of SNS. This study draws on dual-system theory (DST), borrowed from cognitive neuroscience (also known as reflective-impulsive theory of the mind and fast and slow thinking) to investigate what drives this phenomenon. The statistical analyses of time-lagged data collected from 341 Facebook users implicate an imbalance between two systems in the human mind, involving strong cognitive-emotional preoccupation with using the SNS (System 1, impulsive) and weak cognitive-behavioral control over using the SNS (System 2, reflective), as the driver of problematic SNS use behaviors. Problematic use of SNS, in turn, diminishes users’ academic performance. This study contributes to research on the dark side of information systems (IS) use by conceptualizing problematic use and explaining its drivers and consequences. It demonstrates that the dual-system theory is an appropriate theoretical perspective for explaining problematic IS use, superior to planned-behavior–based models. It also explains some of the precursors of the dual system factors and offers practical implications to information technology artifact designers and users.

Qualitative data analysis software: The state of the art

Summary The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the ‘state of the art of QDA or CAQDAS software. The author uses Kahneman’s ideas about slow and fast thinking as a framework. Slow thinking in the context of CAQDAS is related to researcher driven analysis and fast thinking to tool- and data driven analysis. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, the author describes trends and new developments and in the second part, she offers a critical appraisal.

Adolescence and Sleep

Sleep is a physiological condition characterized by a reversible behavioral state with changes in the level of awareness and responsiveness to stimuli and plays a fundamental role related to electrophysiological, neurochemical, anatomical and functional changes of the brain. It is controlled by chronobiological and homeostatic mechanisms and is intensely related to the periods of wakefulness. One of the most immediate results of the poor quality of sleep is the drop in performance on the next day, causing damage during wakefulness, such as drowsiness, mood fluctuations, anxiety, low self-esteem, slow thinking, memory loss, poor school and personal performance, and predisposition to accidents. Sleep plays an important role in the physical and emotional development of adolescents, who are going through a period of intense learning and differentiation. Paradoxically, however, nowadays, several factors contribute to the poor sleep of adolescents because of the social pressures that boost their activities such as excessive use of computer and phone, new affective relationships, parties, etc. All of these factors determine a reduction of nighttime sleep and consequent daytime sleepiness. The objective of the present study was to present some issues related to the physiology of the sleep-wake cycle and its implications in the daily life of teenagers, in an attempt to stimulate the thinking of professionals about the important aspects related to quality and quantity of sleep.

Analysis of resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging signal complexity of adult major depressive disorder based on fuzzy approximate entropy

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a kind of mental disease which has characteristics of the low mood,sense of worthless,less interest in the surrounding things,sadness or hopeless,slow thinking,intelligence,language,action,etc. The aim of this research is to find the differences between entropy values and ages,genders of MDD patients,MDD patients and healthy controls.Twenty-two MDD patients (male 11;age 18-65) and their matched healthy controls in gender,age,and education are examined by analyzing (blood oxygenation level dependent-functional magnetic resonance imaging,BOLD-fMRI) signals from nonlinear complexity perspective.As the BOLD-fMRI signals have limited time resolution,so they are very difficult to quantify the complexities of fMRI signals.We extract the corresponding signals from the fMRI signals.The complexities of the age,gender,MDD patients and healthy controls can be predicted by the proposed approach.However,information redundancy and other issues may exist in non-linear dynamic signals. These issues will cause an increase in computational complexity or a decrease in computational accuracy.To solve the above problems,we propose a method of fuzzy approximate entropy (fApEn),and compare it with sample entropy (SampEn).The addition and subtraction under different emotional stimuli as a multi-task are used to coordinate brain sense with motion control.The 12-channel fMRI signals are obtained involving the BOLD signals on resting signals (about 24 s).The methods of the fApEn and SampEn are proposed to deal with the BOLD-fMRI signals in the different ages and genders,and those between MDD patients and healthy controls from the differences between fApEn and SampEn of different genders,main effect and interaction effect analysis of fApEn and SampEn measures, regression curve between entropy and age of the whole sample,correlations of fApEn and SampEn with age,fApEn-age correlation and magnitude in gray matter and white matter,multiple regression analysis of fApEn with age for the whole sample,also the receiver operating characteristic analyses of fApEn and SampEn,the relationship between fAPEn and N aspects.The results show that 1) the complexities of the resting state fMRI signals measured are consistent with those from the Goldberger/Lipsitz model:the more the health,the greater the complexity is;2) the mean whole brain fApEn demonstrates significant negative correlation (r=-0.512,P0.001) with age,SampEn produces a non-significant negative correlation (r=-0.102,p=0.412),and fApEn also demonstrates a significant (P0.05) negative correlation with age-region (frontal,parietal,limbic,temporal and cerebellum parietal lobes),there is non-significant region between the SampEn maps and age;3) the fuzzy approximate entropy values of major depressive disorder patients are lower than those of healthy controls during resting.These results support the Goldberger/Lipsitz model,and the results also show that the fApEn is a new effective method to analyze the complexity of BOLD-fMRI signals.

Clinical Presentation Of The Abuse Of Insulin: Hypoglycaemic Coma And Aspiration Pneumonia In Non-Professional Bodybuilders

AbstractThe use of medications that improve the physical performance of an individual represents a very serious worldwide health problem. The abuse of these medications is increasing. Herein, we describe a patient, at the age of 20, who was hospitalized due to loss of consciousness and difficulty breathing. At admission, the patient was unconsciousness, tahi-dyspnoic, and had a pale complexion and an athletic build. In gas analyses, extremely low saturation was observed, followed by acidosis, heavy hypoxia with normocapnia, higher lactates, hypocalcaemia and severe hypoglycaemia. The patient was treated with a hypertonic solution of glucose and intubated, with the aspiration of sanious content from the respiratory tract. After treatment, the patient woke from coma but was very confused. In the first 6 hours of hospitalization, severe hypoglycaemia occurred several times, despite the continuous administration of glucose. Due to the growth of inflammatory syndrome since the first day of hospitalization, the patient was kept in the hospital for treatment along with the administration of antibiotic treatment. On the fourth day of hospitalization, the patient stated that for the last year, he had been taking testosterone at a dose of 1 g a week, as well as tamoxifen pills and 15 i.j. of fast-acting human insulin (Actrapid®) daily for their combined anabolic effect. Hypoglycaemic coma, caused by the abuse of insulin, represents a severe complication in patients, which can be followed by confusion, a slowed thinking process, the weakening of cognitive functions and even death. It is necessary to invest great efforts into the prevention of the purchase of these medications via the Internet or on the black market for purposes of abuse in order to prevent such serious and life-threatening complications.

Fast thinking: Implications for democratic politics

AbstractA major programme of research on cognition has been built around the idea that human beings are frequently intuitive thinkers and that human intuition is imperfect. The modern marketing of politics and the time‐poor position of many citizens suggests that ‘fast’, intuitive, thinking in many contemporary democracies is ubiquitous. This article explores the consequences that such fast thinking might have for the democratic practice of contemporary politics. Using focus groups with a range of demographic profiles, fast thinking about how politics works is stimulated and followed by a more reflective and collectively deliberative form of slow thinking among the same participants. A strong trajectory emerges consistently in all groups in that in fast thinking mode participants are noticeably more negative and dismissive about the workings of politics than when in slow thinking mode. A fast thinking focus among citizens may be good enough to underwrite mainstream political exchange, but at the cost of supporting a general negativity about politics and the way it works. Yet breaking the cycle of fast thinking – as advocated by deliberation theorists – might not be straightforward because of the grip of fast thinking. The fast/slow thinking distinction, if carefully used, offers valuable new insight into political science.

Lean psychology and the theories of “Thinking, Fast and Slow”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop insights about the psychological factors that contribute to lean’s success as a holistic and adaptive system. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use the best-selling book “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (TFAS) (2011) by Nobel-prize winner Daniel Kahneman to provide a familiar lens for readers who might not otherwise be familiar with the psychology theories that are used in this paper to study lean conceptually. With this approach, the paper sheds light on psychological factors that tie together many of the philosophies, principles and practices of lean. Findings – The paper shows how lean’s philosophies, principles and practices provide a synergistic and self-reinforcing system that drives employee thinking and actions. TFAS characterizes thought processes as “fast System 1 thinking” that relies on intuition and “slow System 2 thinking” that is more rational and logical. Lean psychology eliminates waste and adds customer value by supporting, enhancing and taking advantage of beneficial fast thinking and motivating and imposing appropriate slow thinking. Originality/value – The authors develop the concept of lean psychology to describe the relationship between psychology theories and lean. By applying lean psychology, organizations can go beyond superficially adopting a checklist of tools and techniques to more fully take advantage of lean and improve their operations performance.

Slow thinking and deep learning: Tversky and Kahneman's taxi cabs

SummaryThis article is based on classroom application of a problem story constructed by Amos Tversky in the 1970s. His intention was to evaluate human beings' intuitions about statistical inference. The problem was revisited by his colleague, the Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. The aim of this article is to show how popular science textbooks can serve as a source for rich classroom activity, with a little care in the implementation by teachers. Kahneman describes the problem as ‘standard’ and answers using a fixed point number. I describe how I have encouraged my students to challenge the certainty of this assertion by identifying ambiguities that are left unexplained in the story. This way, I claim to stimulate individuals to indeed move towards Thinking, Fast and Slow, the title of Kahneman's book.

Brain at the centre of the information universe

Insights from the recent wealth of popular books on neuroscience are offered to suggest a strengthening of theory in information science. Information theory has traditionally neglected the human dimension in favour of ‘scientific’ theory often derived from the Shannon-Weaver model. Neuroscientists argue in excitingly fresh ways from the evidence of case studies, non-intrusive experimentation and the measurements that can be obtained from technologies that include electroencephalography, positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The way in which the findings of neuroscience intersect with ideas such as those of Kahneman on fast and slow thinking and Csikszentmihalyi on flow, is tentatively explored as lines of connection with information science. It is argued that the beginnings of a theoretical underpinning for current web-based information searching in relation to established information retrieval methods can be drawn from this.