Intuition versus Analysis

Intuition and analysis are distinct modes of making judgments and decisions, and the two have been contrasted at least as far back as ancient Greece. Intuition and analysis are broad concepts without clear definitions. Nevertheless, there is some consensus about their respective characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, bases, and mechanisms. Discussions that contrast intuition with analysis in medical decision making have traditionally been set in the context of expert diagnostic judgment. These discussions have been both descriptive (i.e., about how clinicians actually arrive at diagnoses) and prescriptive (i.e., how clinicians should arrive at diagnoses). More recent discussions of intuition and analysis have considered their roles in patient decision making (e.g., treatment decisions) and healthcare management and policy decisions. This entry consists of three parts. The first part ...