38 pagesMuch recent research in the area of judgment and decision making
has been dominated by documentation of ways in which people's intuitive
thought processes can lead them astray. Like other psychological
results that have cast doubt on people's abilities, these accounts have
generated considerable controversy. From the set of criticisms that
have been raised, a set of generic criticisms that could be raised is
developed here. These include aspersions of methodological malpractice,
advancement of alternative standards of optimality, and development of
error theories showing the insensitivity of events to these kinds of
problems. Considering these critici.sms in general form offers some
perspectives on the continuing debate, some guidance on how to improve
its productivity, and some hypotheses for analyzing analogous
controversies elsewhere in psychology
