Even the most intelligent and informed judges and decision makers have been shown to be prone to errors and biases with potentially serious consequences. Previous scientific attempts to explain the causes of wrong decisions have mainly focused on shortcomings in the cognitive processing of the information given. The recent research reviewed in the present volume offers an intriguing alternative for consideration. Although the input of environmental information samples may be biased, the cognitive processing of information samples is often unbiased and remarkably accurate.

Even the most intelligent and informed judges and decision makers have been shown to be prone to errors and biases with potentially serious consequences. Previous scientific attempts to explain the causes of wrong decisions have mainly focused on shortcomings in the cognitive processing of the information given. The recent research reviewed in the present volume offers an intriguing alternative for consideration. Although the input of environmental information samples may be biased, the cognitive processing of information samples is often unbiased and remarkably accurate.

Research on human judgment and decision making has been strongly guided by a normative/descriptive approach, according to which human decision making is compared to the normative models provided by decision theory, statistics, and the probability calculus. A common empirical finding has been that human behavior deviates from the prescriptions by normative models--that judgments and decisions are subject to cognitive biases.
It is interesting to note that Swedish research on judgment and decision making made an early departure from this dominating mainstream tradition, albeit in two...