Today we get to know about an interesting concept in psychology called Thin Slicing. It is the ability of our unconscious to find specific patterns and hence reach conclusions in situations and about behaviours based on very narrow slices of experience.
The question is how is it possible for the unconscious to base decisions on such a small instance of experience. Studies have shown that some behavioral scientists have been able to predict divorces based on mere 3 mins of conversation between them. This is an instance of Thin Slicing at work. How can a duration as small as 3 mins be a remarkable predictor of an event like divorce even if someone were Thin Slicing? The answer to this is the ability to recognize patterns that are stronger predictor of a relationship going sour. For instance, in this case a lot of us would think that hatred and elements of it in the 3 min conversation imply a higher probability of a marriage going sour; but over time it has been observed that contempt is the biggest cause. This is the result of Thin Slicing and recognizing that contempt is a bigger driver so the predictor would only look for bouts of contempt as an emotion and ignore the other emotional aspects in the conversation,
This is a classic example of how recognizing the right pattern and using it to make conclusions can mean even shorter overlap times and poetically split-second experiences can be valuable in the decision making ability of an individual.
The question is how is it possible for the unconscious to base decisions on such a small instance of experience. Studies have shown that some behavioral scientists have been able to predict divorces based on mere 3 mins of conversation between them. This is an instance of Thin Slicing at work. How can a duration as small as 3 mins be a remarkable predictor of an event like divorce even if someone were Thin Slicing? The answer to this is the ability to recognize patterns that are stronger predictor of a relationship going sour. For instance, in this case a lot of us would think that hatred and elements of it in the 3 min conversation imply a higher probability of a marriage going sour; but over time it has been observed that contempt is the biggest cause. This is the result of Thin Slicing and recognizing that contempt is a bigger driver so the predictor would only look for bouts of contempt as an emotion and ignore the other emotional aspects in the conversation,
This is a classic example of how recognizing the right pattern and using it to make conclusions can mean even shorter overlap times and poetically split-second experiences can be valuable in the decision making ability of an individual.
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