Question

Using the model fast brain slow brain, , draft a sample theoretical foundation/conceptual framework for a dissertation prospectus that is based in that model. You may use your own topic/prospectus if the model is applicable.

Answer 1

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman focused on the cognitive processes of fast brain slow brain and today this model is gaining increasing attention and fame. These terms were originally used by psychologists Keith Stanovich and Richard West and Kahneman has referred to them as System 1 and System 2.  

In broad terms, the fast brain, that is System 1, produces quick intuitive reactions and takes immediate decisions which govern our lives. Whereas, the slow brain, that is System 2, is that cognitive process which analyses and reasons a particular situation before reacting.

As the description shows System 2 uses more mental energy than System 1. There are various situations under which both these brains act and react. System 1 is more automatic, for example removing our hand as soon as it touches a very hot surface or understanding subtle facial cues of a person. System 2 is more focused. For example, when you're trying to write an answer that requires research, or trying to express your thoughts to a long lost friend and you find yourself in search of words, etc. It is in the latter case, that the brain concentrates more, analyses more and doesn't give an immediate reaction. Hence it is the slow brain.

The concept of self control comes parallel when fast brain and slow brains are discussed. Where System 1 proposes no voluntary control, System 2 is concerned with choice and control. When you feel your hands are dirty, you involuntarily wash them but when you sit to play a musical instrument for a song that you've never heard before, you may have to analyse your thoughts before playing it. System 1 is the effortless, immediate reaction whereas System 2 is thoughtful, requires effort and is calculative.

Conflict between System 1 and System 2 has been studied by many psychologists, especially Kahneman. The effortless, automatic, immediate reaction versus the conscious, controlled thoughts.

This research is aiming to find the connection between Fast brain Slow brain and the Postive Psychology concept of 'Flow'. Flow is the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in a feeling of total involvement and enjoyment in the process of an activity. Flow is living in the present however the cognitive process at the moment of 'Flow' is conscious, fully absorbed yet immediate.

The study rests on the hypothesis that Flow is the binding cognitive process between fast brain and slow brain. We have come to this hypothesis as Flow is that factor in which the cognitive processes of fast and slow brain collide. Flow happens at the present. However, it is not just an immediate, unconscious moment as that of a Fast brain. Flow is definitely immediate, but it is deeper, conscious and emotional. The research would therefore try to highlight this relationship and it's causal factors.