Blink by Malcolm Gladwell Review by Tania Vikki EPSY 5180 Summer 2009
QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell Review by Tania Vikki EPSY 5180 Summer 2009 QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. What the book is about • Blink is about snap judgments. Not how to make them, but how they are made, who makes them the best, and what factors are involved. • Blink uses a good author’s voice, and shows its meanings through many, many examples. • It is not well organized, in terms of nonfiction, and its ideas loop or are not clearly stated or summarized. Main ideas of Blink • Experts can judge things in a few moments, called thin-slicing, very accurately. • Our snap decisions are influenced heavily by bias, stereotype, and stress. • Less is more. The less information we have, the better our decisions can be. Otherwise we can be overwhelmed with information. QuickTime™ and a • Our thinking happens behind a ‘locked door’. decompressor needed to see this picture. • Analysis can blockare our intuition. • We must learn the weaknesses of our decision-making, and try to correct for them. • Sometimes thoughtful analysis is best, especially for minor, straightforward decisions. Other times, intuitive decisions are best, such as when there is a lot of information, or the decision is complicated. Examples of Expert Opinion Thin-Slicing • Determining a fake ancient Greek statue of a kouros. • Prof. Gottman’s prediciton of successful marriages • Morse code ‘voice’ interpretation during WWII • Film directors • Bird Watchers • A tennis expert predicting a ‘double fault’ • Van Riper, a military general • Taste testers • Music entertainment leaders judgment of Kenna • Dr. Ekman’s determination of emotions based on facial features • Experienced cop • Experienced Firefighter QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Bias, Stereotype, and Influence Examples: • Museum curators • Effects of priming • Power of suggestions - rope activity • Warren Harding - best-looking worst President ever • IAT tests - your subconscious is a racist, so prime yourself! • Why are so many CEO’s tall? • Car dealers are unfair, except for one… • Aeron chair - works great, looks awful. Will it sell? • No women in the orchestra QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Less is more, examples • • • • • Curators confused by a large amount of data Cook County heart attack prediction formula JFCOM vs. Van Riper in the military game Battle of Chancellorsville Selecting a car from 12 choices, not just 4 QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. The Stress Factor • People think best between 115 and 45 bpm under stress. After that, it all breaks down, stereotypes have more influence, and we stop reading people’s faces (like temporary autism) • Examples: good athletes, good-call cops vs.Diallo shooting cops, Rodney King beating cops, other bad-call cops • White space - the time and distance between you and the event or threat, determines your effective/good response. No white space in Diallo case, or Reagan assassination attempt. QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Locked Door: We can’t tell how we think. • • • • Double fault prediction Rope activity Speed-dating choices Red vs. blue deck selection • Fireman sensing basement fire • IAT testing QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Analysis can block intuition QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. • Improv comedy - accept all possibilities • JFCOM actions, and Hooker’s • Introspection can lead to dissonance resolution, rather QuickTime™ and a decompressor than true recall are needed to see this picture. • Face recognition vs. description • Speed-dating reflections • Rope activity reflection Correcting for Weaknesses • • • • • • • • • • Screen for music auditions Screen for defendants in trials? Experienced cop’s decision to wait to shoot One-man instead of two-man cop patrols. Positive priming for IAT test Stress exposure for bodyguards Sports statistics vs. fan beliefs Intentional fairness of a car dealer Using a heart attack formula Control first impressions, where possible QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. When to use intuition, and when to analyze? Analyze: Simple, small decisions: • Simple kitchen appliances (Dutch) • 4 car choice When a machine or formula is proven correct • Cook County Hospital Intuition: Big, complicated decisions • IKEA furniture (Dutch) • 12 car choice • “a mate or a profession” -Sigmund Freud QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Conclusion Blink is about judgments, how they are made, what influences them, and their quality. QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture.
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