COGNITIVE APPROACH - Dual Process Model (Wason, 1968)

10 important questions on COGNITIVE APPROACH - Dual Process Model (Wason, 1968)

What was the aim of Wason's 1968 study?

The aim was to investigate how people reason about conditional rules and whether they seek to confirm or falsify a hypothesis, showing confirmation bias.

Describe the Dual Process Theory of thinking and decision-making with one example of how it affects human behavior.

The Dual Process Theory involves two systems: System 1 is fast, unconscious, automatic, and error-prone, while System 2 is slow, conscious, effortful, and reliable. An example is instinctively running from a loud crash.

Describe the research method used in Wason's 1968 study.

Laboratory experiment using a logical reasoning task, specifically the four-card "selection task."
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How does the scenario of walking down a busy street and reacting to a loud crash illustrate System 1 thinking?

Instinctively turning and running from a loud crash shows System 1 thinking, which is fast, unconscious, and automatic. It uses heuristics for quick decisions but can lead to errors.

What procedure was followed in Wason's 1968 study?

Participants saw four cards (e.g., A, D, 4, 7) and a rule such as "If a card has a vowel on one side, then it has an even number on the other." They chose which card(s) to turn over to test the rule, without seeing the reverse sides.

What are the characteristics of System 1 and System 2 in the Dual Process Theory?

System 1 is fast, unconscious, automatic, and error-prone. System 2 is slow, conscious, effortful, and reliable. System 1 uses heuristics (mental shortcuts); System 2 involves careful analysis.

What were the findings of Wason's 1968 study?

Most participants chose cards that could confirm the rule (e.g., A and 4) rather than those that could potentially falsify it (A and 7), showing a strong confirmation/matching bias and poor logical reasoning performance.

List the strengths of Wason's 1968 study.

  • Highly controlled lab setting, allowing clear measurement of reasoning patterns.
  • Simple, replicable task that has been widely used and extended, giving strong scientific reliability and a large body of supporting data (large consensus).

Explain why we have two types of thinking in the Dual Process Theory.

Two types of thinking exist because System 1 is used when cognitive load is high or quick decisions are needed. It uses heuristics but can lead to errors. System 2 is rational and controlled.

What are the limitations of Wason's 1968 study?

  • Low ecological validity, since abstract card problems are unlike real-world reasoning situations.
  • Performance improves with familiar or meaningful content, suggesting the original task underestimates everyday logical reasoning and is influenced by context and prior knowledge.

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