The Decision-Making Quiz we took in class on Monday was interesting in more than one way. Problem number 2 that asked whether a student studied Chinese studies or psychology. This question added that the student was small and shy, this question tried to lead readers to believe these characteristics were a part of the person's major. This showed us the decision making heuristic in action. The logic should have been that the undergraduate major of psychology is more likely a choice because the students who choose this course of study are higher in percentages than those who choose Chinese studies.
This lead me to believe that the decision making heuristic may also lead to some stereotypes that people hold. This heuristic is a device used to make shortcuts in decision making. Therefore when we see someone we may link them to a category of people that they really do not associate with. For example if someone is intelligent we may automatically assume they are nerdy or that they spend all their time studying because that is what we have linked intelligence to in the past, but is not true for this individual.
I agree that stereotypes and heuristics are a tool by the brain to reduce choices and place the connections readily available to a person at first. This is why the "first impression" is considered to be so important. But with new experience and continually meeting new people these heuristics can change and be molded to accept a person within a less specific stereotypical group.
ReplyDeleteIt is so crazy how stereotypes play such a huge role in decision making. I never really knew exactly how heuristics can affect the choices I make on a daily basis. It is even more interesting to know that our brain automatically makes these impressions without us even thinking too hard about it. I feel as though this is a really negative aspect of our society because it makes people so accustomed or used to certain things whether they are good or bad. Hopefully throughout time, people will learn to block out the negative aspects and focus on eliminating such stereotypes.
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