Systematic processing

The other type of thinking we use when making decisions is called systematic processing or slow thinking. Systematic processing is relatively slow, careful, and conscious. It requires our attention – we are aware that we are looking for solutions or possibilities to solve the problem or come to a conclusion. Systematic processing allows us to organise our thoughts and ideas in an orderly way and is usually more accurate.

Systematic processing takes a lot of effort as we think, analyse, and weigh up the information about each option we are considering. 

You will remember those days after your baby was identified with a hearing loss. Getting information from different places and weighing up the pros and cons was hard work, both mentally and emotionally. Systematic processing demands our attention which is why it can be hard (and not advisable) to make decisions when we are tired or emotional.

Our brains are programmed to take the easy route. When we need to make a decision, we generally start using heuristic processing but when this is insufficient, our systematic processing takes over until we feel we have enough information to make a decision.

We are more likely to use a systematic approach to decision-making when we feel the consequences will be important for us.

Neither fast nor slow thinking is better than the other. They work together and simply do different things. We can think and problem-solve using either intuitive (heuristic) thinking or analytic (systematic) thinking, depending on the situation and circumstances of the problem or question which we need to answer.