Scientific Definition
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
Plain-English Definition
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
Feynman Explanation
We don't optimize. We satisfice.
Core Principle
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Real decision systems are bounded — design them for that, not for ideals.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
We don't optimize. We satisfice.
Examples
- Choosing the first acceptable option rather than the best one.
- Real decision systems are bounded — design them for that, not for ideals.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Build decision processes that minimize required cognition under pressure.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Build decision processes that minimize required cognition under pressure.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Inattention or forgetfulness caused by low attention, hyperfocus, or distraction.
Forgetting to compare an offer with the next-best alternative.
Outcomes that could have happened but did not.
Overthinking a situation so that decision-making stalls.
The first number on the table silently sets the range for every number after it.
Tversky & Kahneman's classic: identical outcomes flip from 'risk averse' to 'risk seeking' when framed as lives saved vs. lives lost.
Our perception is shaped by what we selectively pay attention to.
Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.
A color appears different depending on adjacent colors.
The ability to focus on one voice in a noisy environment.
Binding the future self with a present cost-of-defection to overcome impulse and inertia.