1. Reading 2: Adaptive Unconscious Wilson

2. Overview Freud versus academic psychologists Clinical observation versus hypothesis testing The mind consists of conscious and unconscious behavior – Conscious is deliberate, knowable, calculated – Unconscious is heuristic, learned, automatic

3. Adaptive Unconscious Critical for survival Perceive the world, initiate action, set goals Flight or fight Reproduction The base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

4. Researcher Challenges Unconscious is not easily knowable – Introspection is difficult at best – Observation from others can help – The subject may not know or even be able to answer a direct question about it

5. Genesis of theory about behavior Von Neumann, economic theory, 1700’s Herbert Simon, satisficing theory, 1955 Kahneman and Tversky, prospect theory, 1972 Led to understanding of Consumer Behavior model Behavior Cognition Affect

6. Two types of decision-making Cognitive – Precise, computer, “Mr. Spock” Affective – Emotions, moods, attitudes and beliefs These two modes operate simultaneously For simple decisions, affective often wins For complex decisions, cognition often wins Even cognitively-driven decisions have a large affective component

7. Memory and decision-making Two types of memory Verbatim memory – Short term, precise, detail-oriented Gist memory – Long term, general picture, reconstructed The two types of memory operate together, but sometimes in conflict with each other Deliberate decisions versus heuristics