| Process or Strategy | Description | Powers | Perils |
|---|
| Algorithm | Methodical rule or procedure | Guarantees solution | Requires time and effort |
| Heuristic | Simple thinking shortcut, such as the availability heuristic (which estimates likelihood based on how easily events come to mind) | Lets us act quickly and efficiently | Puts us at risk for errors |
| Insight | Sudden Aha! reaction | Provides instant realization of solution | May not happen |
| Confirmation bias | Tendency to search for support for our own views and ignore contradictory evidence | Lets us quickly recognize supporting evidence | Hinders recognition of contradictory evidence |
| Fixation | Inability to view problems from a new angle | Focuses thinking | Hinders creative problem solving |
| Intuition | Fast, automatic feelings and thoughts | Is based on our experience; huge and adaptive | Can lead us to overfeel and underthink |
| Overconfidence | Overestimating the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments | Allows us to be happy and to make decisions easily | Puts us at risk for errors |
| Belief perseverance | Ignoring evidence that proves our beliefs are wrong | Supports our enduring beliefs | Closes our mind to new ideas |
| Framing | Wording a question or statement so that it evokes a desired response | Can influence others’ decisions | Can produce a misleading result |
| Creativity | Ability to produce novel and valuable ideas | Produces new products | May distract from structured, routine work |