Ecological rationality : intelligence in the world / [edited by] Peter M. Todd, Gerd Gigerenzer, and the ABC Research Group.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Todd, Peter M.

Gigerenzer, Gerd.

Series:

Evolution and cognition

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmental psychology.

Heuristic.

Reason.

Physical Description:

xviii, 590 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2012]

Summary:

"More information is always better, and full information is best. More computation is always better, and optimization is best." More-is-better ideals such as these have long shaped our vision of rationality. Yet humans and other animals typically rely on simple heuristics to solve adaptive problems, focusing on one or a few important cues and ignoring the rest, and shortcutting computation rather than striving for as much as possible. In this book, we argue that in an uncertain world, more information and computation are not always better, and we ask when, and why, less can be more. The answers to these questions constitute the idea of ecological rationality: how we are able to achieve intelligence in the world by using simple heuristics matched to the environments we face, exploiting the structures inherent in our physical, biological, social, and cultural surroundings. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I The Research Agenda

1 What Is Ecological Rationality? / Peter M. Todd Todd, Peter M., Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd 3

Part II Uncertainty in the World

2 How Heuristics Handle Uncertainty / Henry Brighton Brighton, Henry, Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd 33

3 When Simple Is Hard to Accept / Robin M. Hogarth Hogarth, Robin M. 61

4 Rethinking Cognitive Biases as Environmental Consequences / Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd, Klaus Fiedler Fiedler, Klaus, Henrik Olsson Olsson, Henrik 80

Part III Correlations Between Recognition and the World

5 When Is the Recognition Heuristic an Adaptive Tool? / Thorsten Pachur Pachur, Thorsten, Peter M. Todd Todd, Peter M., Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd, Lael J. Schooler Schooler, Lael J., Daniel G. Goldstein Goldstein, Daniel G. 113

6 How Smart Forgetting Helps Heuristic Inference / Lael J. Schooler Schooler, Lael J., Ralph Hertwig Hertwig, Ralph, Stefan M. Herzog Herzog, Stefan M. 144

7 How Groups Use Partial Ignorance to Make Good Decisions / Konstantinos V. Katsikopoulos Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos V., Torsten Reimer Reimer, Torsten 167

Part IV Redundancy and Variability in the World

8 Redundancy: Environment Structure That Simple Heuristics Can Exploit / Jörg Rieskamp Rieskamp, Jörg, Anja Dieckmann Dieckmann, Anja 187

9 The Quest for Take-the-Best: Insights and Outlooks From Experimental Research / Arndt Bröder Bröder, Arndt 216

10 Efficient Cognition Through Limited Search / Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd, Anja Dieckmann Dieckmann, Anja, Wolfgang Gaissmaier Gaissmaier, Wolfgang 241

11 Simple Rules for Ordering Cues in One-Reason Decision Making / Anja Dieckmann Dieckmann, Anja, Peter M. Todd Todd, Peter M. 274

Part V Rarity and Skewness in the World

12 Why Rare Things Are Precious: How Rarity Benefits Inference / Craig R. M. McKenzie McKenzie, Craig R. M., Valerie M. Chase Chase, Valerie M. 309

13 Ecological Rationality for Teams and Committees: Heuristics in Group Decision Making / Torsten Reimer Reimer, Torsten, Ulrich Hoffrage Hoffrage, Ulrich 335

14 Naïve, Fast, and Frugal Trees for Classification / Laura F. Martignon Martignon, Laura F., Konstantinos V. Katsikopoulos Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos V., Jan K. Woike Woike, Jan K. 360

15 How Estimation Can Benefit From an Imbalanced World / Ralph Hertwig Hertwig, Ralph, Ulrich Hoffrage Hoffrage, Ulrich, Rüdiger Sparr Sparr, Rüdiger 379

Part VI Designing the World

16 Designed to Fit Minds: Institutions and Ecological Rationality / Will M. Bennis Bennis, Will M., Konstantinos V. Katsikopoulos Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos V., Daniel G. Goldstein Goldstein, Daniel G., Anja Dieckmann Dieckmann, Anja, Nathan Berg Berg, Nathan 409

17 Designing Risk Communication in Health / Stephanie Kurzenhäuser Kurzenhäuser, Stephanie, Ulrich Hoffrage Hoffrage, Ulrich 428

18 Car Parking as a Game Between Simple Heuristics / John M. C. Hutchinson Hutchinson, John M. C., Carola Fanselow Fanselow, Carola, Peter M. Todd Todd, Peter M. 454

Part VII Afterword

19 Ecological Rationality: The Normative Study of Heuristics / Gerd Gigerenzer Gigerenzer, Gerd, Peter M. Todd Todd, Peter M. 487.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9780195315448

0195315448

OCLC:

756200146