Heuristic Traps

Humans are emotional, ego driven creatures. We see what we want to see. We often do what we want to do. But in terrain of consequence, as duiing mountain climbing or winter snow sports, that’s a dangerous approach to staying alive. When we consider the Human Factor, we’re often talking about Heuristic Traps.

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that allow people to solve problems and make judgments quickly and efficiently. These rule-of-thumb strategies shorten decision-making time and allow people to function without constantly stopping to think about their next course of action. However, there are both benefits and drawbacks of heuristics. While heuristics are helpful in many situations, they can also lead to cognitive biases. Becoming aware of this might help you make better and more accurate decisions.

“Even though people are capable of making decisions in a thorough and methodical way, it appears that most of the time they don't. A growing body of research suggests that people unconsciously use simple rules of thumb or heuristics, to navigate the routine complexities of modem life.” - (McCammon, I. 2002. Evidence of Heuristic Traps in Recreational Avalanche Accidents, Int'l Snow Science Workshop, Penticton, B.C.)

Imagine for a moment, if you had to think, be mindful and consciously choose every action and behavior you make over the course of a single day. It would be exhausting and you'd probably not accomplish nearly as much as you normally do. That’s where heuristics come in. Some actions and behaviors we just need to execute without thinking to make our lives more efficient and exact. 

Heuristics are subconscious behavioral pathways that humans utilize to make our complex, multi-dimensional lives more manageable. Ever since heuristics were introduced, they’ve gotten a bad rap. However, without heuristics, you wouldn’t be here!

No matter your race, creed, color or religion; we all derived from earlier peoples. And if your ancestors had to think about every behavioral choice and potential action to be performed, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to pass their DNA on to you.

Consider the following: Wooly Mammoth enters cave, humans perceive danger, they group together, bend down, pick up large rocks, raise arms back, throw rocks at the incoming animal, they assess damage, reload rocks, search for spears, keep an eye on tribe mates, track mammoth, turn and flee, counter attack, hide, etc….until the encounter ends... or ...

The prehistoric elephant invades your space and you and your tribe react because there’s no time to think. Muscle memory and strong communal relationships fuel an unspoken, seemingly rehearsed and collaborative response to the threat. You learn from this encounter and cement new heuristic tools to better respond to predatory attack in the future.

If your ancestor’s behavioral pathways and heuristic programming when facing the mammoth was incorrect then you just wouldn’t be here. Fortunately, your people developed synergy and imprinted behaviors, habits and responses cultivated to ensure their very survival and your future existence!

Heuristics are neither a good nor bad thing. They just are. It’s when we introduce humans into the mix that we judge these subconscious behavioral pathways as “BAD” or as “TRAPS” And since we’re in a human centric world, doing human centric things, we must consider the negative impact that unacknowledged heuristics can have when sorting out the complexities of life.

Humans are the problem. We do stupid things all the time. And statistically, we know we and our partners are the ones making mistakes off-piste. The root of these errors most often lies in the subjective part of our analysis - when we override objective inputs with ego, emotion, and impulsivity.

Understanding heuristic traps and incorporating tools and techniques to keep the Human Factor in check is fundamental to success in a survival situation. Heuristic traps occur when the simple rules we use are influenced by factors not relevant to the actual hazards. Being aware of these traps may reduce the likelihood of this. Following are the most common heuristic traps and what one should be on the lookout for: