Untangling the Mystery of Intuitive-Analytic Interactions in Crisis Response Operations: A Dual-Process Perspective

Whilst it is often claimed that experienced crisis responders are likely to adopt the intuitive and analytical thinking styles when solving complex problems in time-pressured crisis situations, scholarly efforts to explicate the nature of interactions between the intuitive and analytical modes remain sparse. To bridge this gap, we review four duality-based cognitive models and draw evidence from the Hudson River case study to better understand the patterns of the interplay between the intuitive and analytical information processing modes in time-pressured crisis situations. We found support for the dual-process theory, and note that although intuition is frequently deployed as the default cognitive mode in crisis situations, experienced crisis responders can exploit some features of the analytical mode to moderate their intuitive tendencies when required. Based on evidence from the Hudson River case study, a range of intuitive-analytic tension points that largely explain the nature of interactions within the duality framework are identified. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the dual-process information modes for crisis decision-making.