
Adaptive Thinking
Rationality in the Real World
Gerd Gigerenzer(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 28. March 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
360 pages
978-0-19-515372-9 (ISBN)
Description
Where do new ideas come from? What is social intelligence? Why do social scientists perform mindless statistical rituals? This vital book is about rethinking rationality as adaptive thinking: to understand how minds cope with their environments, both ecological and social.
Gerd Gigerenzer proposes and illustrates a bold new research program that investigates the psychology of rationality, introducing the concepts of ecological, bounded, and social rationality. His path-breaking collection takes research on thinking, social intelligence, creativity, and decision-making out of an ethereal world where the laws of logic and probability reign, and places it into our real world of human behavior and interaction. Adaptive Thinking is accessibly written for general readers with an interest in psychology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and animal behavior. It also teaches a practical audience, such as physicians, AIDS counselors, and experts in criminal law, how to understand and communicate uncertainties and risks.
Gerd Gigerenzer proposes and illustrates a bold new research program that investigates the psychology of rationality, introducing the concepts of ecological, bounded, and social rationality. His path-breaking collection takes research on thinking, social intelligence, creativity, and decision-making out of an ethereal world where the laws of logic and probability reign, and places it into our real world of human behavior and interaction. Adaptive Thinking is accessibly written for general readers with an interest in psychology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and animal behavior. It also teaches a practical audience, such as physicians, AIDS counselors, and experts in criminal law, how to understand and communicate uncertainties and risks.
Reviews / Votes
"The entire book skillfully conveys a number of messages at different levels. It would be impossible to identify one message that takes precedence over the others, although part V of the book clearly stands in its own right. Gigerenzer draws together the different programmes of work and successfully achieves his objective of presenting a different story about reasoning, a story that is stimulating and inspiring."--Applied Cognitive PsychologyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
line figures
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
547 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-515372-9 (9780195153729)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2000
1st Edition
Oxford University Press
€40.49
Available for download
Person
Gerd Gigerenzer is Director of the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, and was previously a professor of psychology at The University of Chicago and other institutions. His books include the recent Simple Heuristics that Make Us Smart (Oxford, 1999).
Author
Director, Center for Adaptive Behavior and CognitionDirector, Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Content
PART ONE: WHERE DO NEW IDEAS COME FROM?; PART TWO: ECOLOGICAL RATIONALITY; PART FOUR: BOUNDED RATIONALITY; PART FOUR: SOCIAL RATIONALITY; PART FIVE: ILLUSIONS AND RITUALS