Why is an understanding of Prospective, or System 3, thinking important? As behavioral researchers, we not only seek to understand consumer behavior, we strive to understanding the thought processes behind exhibited behaviors. We seek insights into these thought processes so that we can influence them—to encourage consumers to continue with a particular behavior (maintaining their status as core users) or change a behavior (ultimately increasing usage and/or adopting use of a product or service).
Cognitive psychologists, most notably Nobel Memorial Prize-winning author Daniel Kahneman, raised our awareness of the dichotomy between modes of thought: System 1 vs. System 2, fast vs. slow, or implicit vs. explicit thinking. System 3 thinking has been uncovered in more recent work from those studying modes of decision-making thought processes: Prospection, or the generation and evaluation of mental representations of possible future, is not simply fast or slow… it is something else working in tandem with those thought processes.
And by digging into this third mode of thinking, we can overcome business challenges ranging from marketing and messaging strategies to new brand positioning and planning.
At the end of this webinar, you’ll have gained:
- Relative awareness of the three modes of thinking: Implicit, Explicit and Prospective
- Key examples of consumer decision making which rely on each of the three systematic thinking modus
- Exclusive exposure an innovative way to access consumers’ System 3 or prospective thoughts: PlayFULL Insights
Spoiler alert: PlayFULL Insights® is a qualitative method where participants use LEGO® bricks to build stories in response to carefully-crafted questions working towards faster and greater understanding of key research needs. The models created become tangible representations of people’s thoughts; the stories they tell provide insight into their memories and imaginations and the complex nuances of their prospective thinking.
