Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Mariner Books
ISBN: 0547247990
Jonah Lehrer's book "How We Decide" is an interesting traipse through the field of decision theory from the perspective of cognitive psychology. He touches on a number of cognitive biases as well as digging into the physiology of the brain. Most of what he writes isn't brand new research but he does put it on a level that mere mortals (such as myself) can comprehend the subject.
Notes
Lehrer gets things started with Herbert Simon's scissors analogy. He compares cognitive function to a pair of scissors where one blade is the brain (cognition) and the other is the brain's environment. If we are ever to understand how the brain makes decisions, we have to understand both blades.
Within the brain, dopamine responds to patterns. Ultimately the entire brain works on patterns and pattern matching. This part of the book reminded me of Jeff Hawkin's (founder of Palm) book On Intelligence where he spoke extensively of pattern processing in the brain.
Further delving into the brain, Lehrer points out that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in both cognition and emotion. It's primary role is "error detection." When we make a mistake, we feel bad. In this sense, negative feedback is the key to learning and ultimately to decision making. Once again, this dovetails nicely with Antonio Damasio's work in Looking for Spinoza, where he ties emotion with cognitive function.
This theory comes from an interesting experiment called the "Iowa Gambling Task". Participants are presented with rigged decks of cards, some good, some bad. After being told that they can win or lose money based on which decks they draw from they begin drawing cards. Interestingly, healthy participants can discern a bad deck from a good deck long before they are consciously aware. Subtle physical indicators as well as choice of card drawing indicate that we "intuit" bad decks long before we are able to articulate why.
Some tips for problem solving:
- Clear extraneous stuff out of the way
- Seek creative associations
- Recognize the correct solution when you see it
Some random thoughts:
- Emotions help identify solutions from experience
- Stress reduces self-control by reducing cognitive resources
- You have to learn to force yourself to listen to arguments against your own beliefs if you are going to make good decisions
Certainty Trap
Lehrer explores in depth the concept of the certainty trap. He explains how we often become so certain of a conclusion that we fail to explore all options. We fall victim to confirmation bias and we only place value on information that conforms to our conclusion.
In order to break free from the certainty trap, a certain amount of indecisiveness or self-questioning is important.
Five Guidelines to Better Decisions
- Simple problems require reason, not emotion to solve effectively. Complex problems require emotion, not reason.
- New, novel problems require reason and emotion.
- Embrace uncertainty – if you are 100% sure of yourself, you are likely to be wrong.
- You know more than you know.
- Think about how you think. Become a student of your mistakes. Don’t let fear stop you from making them.
Conclusion
I read this book because of my interest in software engineering, particular with regard to human computer interaction. Interestingly much of the material in this book is applicable in other areas of life, including the political arena. Anyone interested in understanding how others make decisions or improving their own decision making would benefit from this book. Only read it if you have an open mind however!