Study Measures Intuition, Shows It Can Boost Accuracy of Decision-Making

Intuition can help people make decisions more quickly, accurately, and confidently, according to a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales, published in May in the journal Psychological Science.
Study Measures Intuition, Shows It Can Boost Accuracy of Decision-Making
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Tara MacIsaac
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Intuition can help people make decisions more quickly, accurately, and confidently, according to a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales, published in May in the journal Psychological Science.

The researchers defined intuition as occurring when, “non-conscious emotions ... bias concurrent non-emotional behavior.” When we make practical decisions, a non-conscious feeling or intuition guides us.

In the experiments, test subjects were shown dots moving around on half of a computer screen. The decision, or “non-emotional behavior,” they were asked to make was to say whether they thought the dots were moving more toward the left or the right.

To create a non-conscious emotional stimulus, the researchers flashed subliminal images. A colored square appeared briefly next to the dots. Sometimes it was just a colored square. Sometimes, an image flashed in it so quickly it could not be consciously perceived. The image was meant to elicit either a positive or negative emotion (it may have been a baby or a snake, for example).

Albert Einstein (Doris Ulmann)
Albert Einstein Doris Ulmann