Metacognition

Reliance upon these heuristics and consequently the presence of cognitive fallacies is pervasive in decision-making. Everyone is susceptible to irrational thinking and decision-making.

Note

An important distinction to be aware of is between heuristics and fallacies. Fallacies like the conjunction fallacy are not cognitive shortcuts, but rather the decision-making errors that come about due to reliance upon heuristics.

Question

Being aware of what goes on during the decision-making process can help us make more accurate decisions. This is an example of metacognition – do you know what this term refers to?

Solution

Metacognition refers to “cognition about cognition” or “knowing about knowing”. If we know about heuristics and the cognitive fallacies to which they contribute, we can be wary of them and base our decisions on rational thought instead.