Author Question: The text discusses several instances where relying on automatic thinking can lead to negative ... (Read 109 times)

MirandaLo · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

The text discusses several instances where relying on automatic thinking can lead to negative consequences. Identify and discuss one instance where using controlled thinking could be problematic

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What effect does use of automatic versus controlled thinking have on the quality of our reasoning? Overall, how good are people as social thinkers?

What will be an ideal response?

qytan · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: Students may discuss one of several processes.

One example of controlled thinking that was problematic was the use of facilitated communication. The facilitators were not aware of how much control they had when guiding the communication-impaired individuals. This technique was only debunked after researchers gave different instructions to the impaired person and the facilitator and found that the instructions were followed by the facilitator only.

An aspect of controlled processes that is problematic is the amount of time it takes to process information consciously and effortfully. Sometimes, there could be a life-or-death decision that needs to be made quickly, for instance in an emergency room, and there is no time for controlled thinking.

Using counterfactual thinking to mentally redo the past can be beneficial if we learn from our mistakes. But it can have detrimental consequences if it leads to rumination, a precursor to depression.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: Both automatic and controlled thinking are likely to lead to reasonably correct answers for the most part. In automatic thinking, people use simpler strategies; in controlled thinking, people use more sophisticated reasoning and are more likely to notice when facts conflict with their existing schemas. Thus people are more likely to be accurate when they use controlled rather than automatic thinking. However, controlled thinking is not a cure-all for faulty reasoning; people can still make errors because they are overly anxious and thus unable to process information efficiently, because their assumptions are faulty, or because they do not know how to reason correctly despite their desire to do so. Thus both kinds of thinking can also lead to consequential errors.