Thinking Tasks

You should purchase a copy of Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow—if you don’t already have it. Read through the book to get ready to introduce the concept of two systems of thinking to the participants in this activity.

Synopsis

Ask pairs of questions and invite the participants to respond to them. Explain that these tasks reflected two systems of thinking according to Kahneman. Conduct a debriefing discussion to reflect on thinking processes.

Purpose

To experience two systems of thinking and to compare the use of each system and their advantages and limitations.

Participants

  • Minimum: 1

  • Maximum: Any number

  • Best: 10 to 30

Time

5 minutes for the activity and 10 minutes for debriefing

Supplies and Equipment

  • Paper

  • Pens

  • Timer

  • Flip chart pad

Flow

Brief the participants. Explain that you are going to give them several pairs of problems to solve, questions to answer, or tasks to perform. Ask the participants to think through the tasks without using paper and pencil. Explain that it does not matter if they are not able to complete the tasks within the allotted time.

Solve multiplication problems. Begin with a pair of arithmetic problems. Ask, “What do you get when you multiply 3 by 2?’ Pause for a suitable period before giving the answer, 6. Announce the next multiplication problem: “What do you get when you multiply 37 times 24?” Pause enough time to permit the participants to struggle through the task (without writing anything down). Announce the answer, 888. Reassure the participants it does not matter if they have not worked out the answer.

Single-digit numbers. Proceed to the next pair of tasks. First, ask the participants to count aloud from 1 to 10 in the sequential order, as rapidly as possible. Second, ask the participants to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in the alphabetical orders when spelled out in English. Wait to permit the participants to struggle through the task. Rattle off this alphabetical sequence: 8, 5, 4, 9, 1, 7, 6, 10, 3, 2.

Reading assignments. Ask the participants how they would read a short and simple t-shirt message. After an appropriate pause, ask the participants how they would read a research report to get ready to make a presentation to a group of graduate students. Pause for enough time to permit them to think about this reading assignment.

Fill in the blanks. Write this phrase on a flip chart:

Day and ________

Ask the participants to fill in the blank. After a suitable pause, give the answer, night.

Write these three items on the flip chart:

match ______

________ figure

joy _______

Ask the participants to find the same word that could fill in all three blanks to create common compound words. Pause for a minute and announce the correct answer, stick (as in matchstick, stick figure, and joystick).

Select among friends. Ask each participant to think of their friends and identify the tallest person among them. After a suitable pause, ask them to select the best person among their friends to negotiate with a Japanese businesswoman. Wait for a suitable time to permit the participants to think through this selection task.

Metacognition. Explain that in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, Noble prize-winning researcher Daniel Kahneman explains that we use two systems of thinking. In each pair of the tasks you presented earlier, the first one requires the use of System 1 thinking and the second one, System 2 thinking. Tell the participants to undertake a metacognitive task (that requires thinking about thinking) to identify the characteristics of the two systems of thinking. Encourage the participants to call out these characteristics and write them down on a flip-chart page.

Discuss the two types of thinking. Announce and explain these characteristics of System 1 thinking:

  • Fast

  • Automatic

  • Frequent

  • Emotional

  • Instinctive

Follow up with these characteristics of System 2 thinking:

  • Slow

  • Mindful

  • Infrequent

  • Logical

  • Deliberate

Discuss other characteristics supplied earlier by the participants.

Continue the discussion. Ask these questions and facilitate the discussion:

  • When is each system of thinking useful?

  • What are the advantages and limitations of each system of thinking?