Decision making Quote by Keith E. Stanovich
““Adaptive decision making is the quintessence of rationality, but the items used to assess intelligence on widely accepted tests bear no resemblance to measures of rational decision making. This creates some curious phenomena that we do in fact tend to notice. We do tend to notice, and to find mildly perplexing, "smart people doing dumb things." But the way that we have historically measured intelligence makes this phenomenon not perplexing at all. If by smart we mean IQ-test smart and by dumb we mean poor decision making, then the source of the phenomenon is clear. IQ tests do not measure adaptive decision making. So if we are surprised at a high-IQ person acting foolishly, it can only mean that we think that all good mental attributes must co-occur with high intelligence-in this case, that rational thinking must go with high intelligence.””
About This Quote
Source Article: “The Rationality of Intelligence,” Psychological Review, 1999
Intelligence tests measure raw cognitive ability, not the ability to make good real‑world decisions, so smart people can act foolishly.
In simple terms: IQ tests don’t capture adaptive decision making.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that intelligence and rationality are distinct.
Themes
intelligence
rationality
decision making
misconception
behavior
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
explanatory
critical
When to use this quote
- job performance
- financial planning
- health choices
- personal relationships
Key Concepts
cognitive psychology
bounded rationality
dual process theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we better assess adaptive decision making?
- What contexts reveal the gap between IQ and rational behavior?
A Different Perspective
IQ scores may still predict many outcomes, limiting the claim.
