System 1 Thinking

What Is System 1 Thinking?

System 1, developed by Kahneman (2011), refers to the brain’s processing of information quickly, instinctually and emotionally, and this is usually done unconsciously. The opposite to System 1 is System 2 which is responsible for slow, conscious, logical and deliberative thinking. ​​​​

​​How does System 1 Research work?

System 1 Research is any method which taps into unconscious thoughts, emotions or behaviours, which would otherwise be inaccessable. System 1 Research Methods include EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking, IAT, IRT, facial emotion analysis, and biometric measurements such as GSR and heart rate variability.

Why is it important to measure System 1 thinking?

The majority of our thoughts, decisions and behaviour are gorverned by our unconscious, system 1 processing. They rely on gut-instinct and are done automatically and with little to no effort. This is because our minds simply could not process the massive amounts of information that we encounter in our daily lives, so it is automated. It is therefore essential to understand this System 1 thinking in order to reveal unconscious thoughts, decisions and biases that lead consumers to make certain decisions.