Glossary

Dual process

Διπλή επεξεργασία

The account in which reasoning runs on two kinds of processing: one fast, automatic and built out of what you have already seen, one slow, effortful and analytic. The fast kind is accurate exactly to the degree that it has met this pattern before, which is why it fails hardest in situations that are new by definition.

Also known asSystem 1 and System 2, fast and slow thinking
Belongs to the skillAdaptability
Level2

How to spot it

Before you answer quickly, ask one question: have I seen this exact pattern many times, with feedback that told me whether I was right?

The research behind the term

The term is not our invention. It comes from published research, and what follows is what that research found — our own synthesis of the published abstract, not a translation of the original.

Evans, J. St. B. T. (2008). Dual-Processing Accounts of Reasoningdoi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093612

The paper sets out the two-systems theory of thinking. The first operates quickly and intuitively, while the second is slow, logical, and analytical. This theory has had a major influence on cognitive psychology.

Practised in

The term does not stay a definition. It appears inside missions where the pattern happens in real time and you have to recognise it as it happens to you.

  • Sudden Pivot

    Level 2

Sources

Every claim on this page maps to published research. The citations link to the original source.

  1. Evans, J. St. B. T. (2008). Dual-Processing Accounts of Reasoning — doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093612