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1
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33144490389
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note
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It is important to note that attention to the problem at hand is the crucial distinction in our definitions of conscious and unconscious thought. Thinking about buying a new car while attention is directed at possible new cars is conscious thought. Thinking about buying a new car while attention is temporarily directed elsewhere is unconscious thought. This distinction does not mean that conscious thought only comprises conscious processes. One can compare it to speech. Speech is a conscious process (i.e., attention is directed at it while one speaks), but it is in part dependent on accompanying unconscious processes (such as processes responsible for syntax or word choice).
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4
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0003595251
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Free Press, New York
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I. L. Janis, L. Mann, Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment (Free Press, New York, 1977).
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(1977)
Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment
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Janis, I.L.1
Mann, L.2
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9
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77953970829
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L. Berkowitz, Ed. Academic Press, New York
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R. E. Petty, J. T. Cacioppo, in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, L. Berkowitz, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 1986), vol. 19, pp. 123-205.
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(1986)
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
, vol.19
, pp. 123-205
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Petty, R.E.1
Cacioppo, J.T.2
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10
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33144490581
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note
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As far as we know, the possibility of unconscious thought (as well as the term "unconscious thought") was explicitly used for the first time by Schopenhauer, who remarked that "One might almost believe that half of our thinking takes place unconsciously" (27).
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12
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33144466055
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The idea of unconscious thought was also studied by various researchers interested in incubation processes in creativity. An example is K. 5. Bowers et al. (28).
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20
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33144476753
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note
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Quality of decision was operationalized from a normative perspective. One of the choice options was made more desirable than the others because it had been assigned more positive aspects than the other apartments.
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22
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33144488138
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note
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The important distinction between following rules and merely conforming to them (and the need for conscious attention in the former) was made by S. A. Sloman (29).
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23
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0001522227
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S. Chaiken, Y. Trope, Eds. Guilford, New York
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E. R. Smith, J. DeCoster, Dual-Process Theories in Social Psychology, S. Chaiken, Y. Trope, Eds. (Guilford, New York, 1999), pp. 323-336.
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(1999)
Dual-Process Theories in Social Psychology
, pp. 323-336
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Smith, E.R.1
Decoster, J.2
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24
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33144478868
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Unconscious thought is reminiscent of implicit learning, but there is an important difference. Implicit learning refers to aspects of a task that are learned while working on the task (and that are inaccessible to consciousness). Unconscious thought refers to thought processes that take place after the encoding of relevant information. A good example of this definition of unconscious thought is the groundbreaking work by Stickgold and colleagues on learning during sleep. See, e.g., (30, 31).
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25
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33144470122
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note
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Materials and methods are available as supporting material on Science Online.
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26
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33144480000
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note
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We found a correlation between number of aspects and amount of thought (r = 0.54, P < 0.001): The more complex a product is, the more people think consciously when deciding to purchase it. Understandable as this may be, our analysis suggests that people should do the opposite, i.e., think unconsciously when deciding to purchase a complex product. The correlation between number of aspects and price was also significant (r = 0.45, P < 0.001): Expensive products were more complex than inexpensive ones.
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28
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0002114995
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K. S. Bowers, G. Regehr, C. Balthazard, K. Parker, Cogn. Psychol. 22, 72 (1990).
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(1990)
Cogn. Psychol.
, vol.22
, pp. 72
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Bowers, K.S.1
Regehr, G.2
Balthazard, C.3
Parker, K.4
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31
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0035798169
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R. Stickgold et al., Science 294, 1052 (2001).
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(2001)
Science
, vol.294
, pp. 1052
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Stickgold, R.1
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32
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33144458331
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note
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We thank E. Neimeijer, L. Schreers, and R. Wassenberg for help with conducting study 4. This research was supported by a grant from Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (016.025.030).
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