Summary: The Evolution Of Dual Processing

The Evolution of Dual-Processing
Instead of reviewing the historical approach that Moskowitz and his colleagues have in this particular chapter and instead of quoting the many authors they have mentioned with their points and the years in which their point of view were taken in consideration, I will be giving my own opinion of what I read. I will be trying to incorporate all the ideas that I read to form my own. This will clearly overview the “behaviorism as a reaction against the introspectionists” (Moskowitz et. Al., 1999, p.15) from Kohler who stated that we mainly use reports of our own mental experience instead of experimenting, as well as excluding external stimuli from the topic of interest. Not only Kohler but others such as Asch, Gestalt, Lewin, Sherif, Heider have contributed to determine the evolution of dual processing through the
careful analysis of Moskowitz and his team in this very interesting chapter.
There clearly has to be a distinction made between an automatic response and a cognitive response.
Understanding that an automatic response is mostly based upon ignorance, it is primitive and it is one of our most common reactions as humans, giving an immediate response without thinking further about the meaning behind what we just said seems to be a little archaic nowadays. Although it has been made clear throughout the reading that Moskowitz has a strong point of view towards a dual processes, meaning that he believes that a person’s actions can be both unconscious but willingly at the same time. As I read through the chapter it seems to be that Moskowitz has a tendency to accentuate his point of view in the belief that a person can get past the automatic response and in a way evolve to give a more thoughtful and educated one. Getting past the automatic response and implementing prior knowledge about how the world is perceived and how it really is, is no easy task but it is a matter of being able to get past the stereotypes and being able to give a cognitive response, which is, being able to gain control on
cognition.
There are times when a person normally overcomes the automatic response and this is possible by being able to question what is being seen. This question emerges when the brain sees something that is violating the normal structures preconceived in the mind of the perceiver, explaining how we perceive the world and how the world really is.
Moskowitz, Skurnik and Galinsky had a very futuristic approach to dual processing by thinking that eventually, people will evolve to a more conscious or cognitive world, and if we think about it the perfect example to prove this is that we do live in a more cognitive world nowadays. People have become more sensitive about many issues, leading to a worldwide change of attitude towards each other. I do believe that the present we live in is a more judgmental world than it was before, a world in which we have to be more careful with what we say because of the increasingly sensitivity of an evolved society, that has learned how to control that primitive automatic response.