Deciding how to act is not achieved by watching mental movies

Matthew M Walsh1, David A Rosenbaum

  • 1Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. mmw187@andrew.cmu.edu

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The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
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