Welcome Dan Costigan Communications Manager Shawn Bakker Psychologist

Decision Making It’s complex People decisions are very complex

Your Fast Thinking Mind

Your Slow Thinking Mind 17 x 24

Your Slow Thinking Mind 17 x ? 13,509? 568?

Your Slow Thinking Mind 17 x 24 = 408

Two Systems System 1 Fast, operates automatically Little or no effort No sense of voluntary control System 2 Slow, effortful mental activity We choose to use it It requires concentration

System 1 Creates general impressions, intuitions, intentions and feelings Provides accurate review of familiar situations Initial reactions to challenges are swift and generally appropriate Cannot be turned off Prone to systematic errors

System 1 National

A simple example A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

Another example How many animals of each kind did Moses take into the ark?

Bernieri Experiment You can find our example video at

Your Intuitive Mind Our minds use many strategies to simplify complex information Problems arise when we misapply or overuse generally sensible strategies We can judge too quickly We jump to conclusions

Self-fulfilling Prophecy Our expectations evoke behaviours that confirm our expectations. Belief creates reality.

WYSIATI What You See Is All There Is Will Emma be a good nurse? She is kind and compassionate... “Given a thimbleful of facts we rush to make generalizations as large as a tub.” Gordon Allport

Tips Recognize that System 1 is happy to make a decision based on the available information Ask yourself – “What do I need to know to make an effective decision?” – Seek additional information – Be curious – Dig Deeper

Halo Effect Sherri: intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, envious Dallas: envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, intelligent

Tips Recognize that sequence matters. What you see or hear first can impact your evaluation of what follows.

Confirmation Bias We only look for information that verifies and supports our beliefs.

Tips Rule of Science: We can best test our hypothesis by trying to refute it. Make an effort to convince yourself of a contradictory point of view

Moving Forward: Making Effective decisions Engaging System 2 Effort + Discipline Structures and Strategies

Moving Forward: Assessments & Interviews Provide some structure for making decisions Standardized Unbiased

Moving Forward:

Moving Forward: Key Steps Select Key Characteristics Required for Success Weight these characteristics before you interview/assess Develop a rating scale Don’t jump around Score characteristics independently

Final Tips Test your intuitions Beware assumptions Down play dogmatic statements Have a lack of faith in your abilities Seek feedback on the accuracy of your judgments

The danger of the persuasive story “Testimonials are more compelling than mountains of facts and figures; as mountains of facts and figures in social psychology compellingly demonstrate.” Mark Snyder

Conclusion Making people decisions is always going to be challenging Effective decisions require effort and concentration System 1 is great at getting you through the day The more you engage System 2, the better decisions you will make

Thank You Thank you everyone for attending our webinar. Shawn Bakker ext 238 Dan Costigan ext 245