Heuristiceksamine

Heuristiceksamine is a term sometimes used in theoretical discussions of cognition and artificial intelligence to describe a two-stage approach to decision making under uncertainty. The word blends “heuristic” with a stylized form of “examine” (eksamine) to signal a rapid initial judgment followed by a more deliberate evaluation. The concept aims to harness the speed of heuristics while guarding against their errors through structured scrutiny.

Origin and scope

The term is not widely standardized and does not denote a single, universally adopted protocol. It appears in speculative and exploratory literature as a framework for organizing how quick, rule-of-thumb assessments can guide, and be refined by, subsequent in-depth analysis. The idea is applicable across domains such as medical triage, finance, risk assessment, and human–computer interaction, where fast judgments are often necessary but costly if incorrect.

Mechanics of the two stages

In the first stage, a narrow set of cues and simple heuristics generate an initial provisional assessment or ranking, intended to be fast and low in cognitive load. The second stage engages a more systematic examination of options against explicit criteria, such as risk, cost, benefits, and contextual factors. The final decision emerges from integrating the outcomes of both stages, with justification for the influence of each stage.

Relationship to existing theories

Heuristiceksamine is related to dual-process theories and fast-and-frugal heuristics but is presented as a structured two-step workflow rather than a singular cognitive bias. Critics argue that its practical value depends on the design of the second-stage examination to avoid merely formalizing biased initial judgments.

See also

Dual-process theory, bounded rationality, fast and frugal heuristics, decision-support systems.