An edition of Patterns, thinking, and cognition (1987)

Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition

A Theory of Judgment

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Last edited by IdentifierBot
August 12, 2010 | History
An edition of Patterns, thinking, and cognition (1987)

Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition

A Theory of Judgment

  • 3 Want to read
  • 1 Have read

For decades, both policymakers and analysts have been frustrated by sharp and stubborn conflicts between expert and lay perceptions on issues of environmental risk. For example, most experts - even those opposed to nuclear power on other grounds - would see precautions like those now in place as adequate to protect against risks from nuclear waste. But the public finds that very hard to believe.

Similar sharp conflicts of expert/lay intuition are evident on a wide range of risk issues, from the safety of bendictin as a treatment for morning sickness to the safety of irradiation of food to destroy microorganisms. In Dealing with Risk, Howard Margolis explores the expert/lay rift surrounding such contentious issues and provides a provocative new account.

  1. The usual explanation of expert/lay conflicts is that experts are focused only on a narrow notion of risk - such as potential fatalities - but lay intuition is concerned about a wide range of further concerns, such as fairness and voluntariness of exposure. Margolis argues that this "rival rationalities" view in a fundamental way misses the point of these controversies, since the additional dimensions of lay concern often are more plausibly interpreted as reflections of lay concern than as causes.

Margolis argues that risk assessment typically involves weighing a broad range of often complicated trade-offs between costs and benefits. As laypersons, however, we are by definition forced to make judgments on complex matters beyond the scope of our normal experience. Especially in cases involving potential danger, we frequently discount nuance and respond more viscerally.

Cognitively we fall back on default responses, all-purpose intuitions such as "better safe than sorry" or "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Such intuitions don't admit of careful balancing of pros and cons, and lay opinion consequently becomes polarized and at odds with the expert view.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
339

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition
Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition: A Theory of Judgment
August 3, 1990, University Of Chicago Press
Paperback in English
Cover of: Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition
Patterns, Thinking, and Cognition: A Theory of Judgment
January 1988, Univ of Chicago Pr (Tx)
Hardcover in English
Cover of: Patterns, thinking, and cognition
Patterns, thinking, and cognition: a theory of judgment
1987, University of Chicago Press
in English
Cover of: Patterns,thinking, and cognition
Patterns,thinking, and cognition: a theory of judgement
1987, University of Chicago Press
in English
Cover of: Patterns, thinking, and cognition
Patterns, thinking, and cognition: a theory of judgment
Publisher unknown

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Book Details


First Sentence

"We start with a discussion of illusions, meaning cases in which perceptions or judgments are inconsistent with what is really there, or with what is really logically implied."

The Physical Object

Format
Paperback
Number of pages
339
Dimensions
9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
Weight
1.1 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL9867819M
ISBN 10
0226505286
ISBN 13
9780226505282
Library Thing
202381
Goodreads
2570759

Excerpts

We start with a discussion of illusions, meaning cases in which perceptions or judgments are inconsistent with what is really there, or with what is really logically implied.
added anonymously.

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 12, 2010 Edited by IdentifierBot added LibraryThing ID
April 24, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs.
April 16, 2010 Edited by bgimpertBot Added goodreads ID.
April 14, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Linked existing covers to the edition.
April 30, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record