Reading this piece from Peter Adam on the use of thinslicing this morning in in-game decision making it was useful to note that thinslicing works best when the information being analysed is bounded, that is when there is a ‘yes/no’ choice for the subconscious brain:

“The human brain is fantastic at providing answers to complex yes/no questions quickly, but it starts to break down when the questions being presented are unbounded.^* Gladwell provides many examples in Blink of complex snap decisions being made correctly when phrased as yes or no questions.”

In addition in comments there appears to be 3 useful books worth following up on in this field:

1. Art of Learning by Josh Waitzin (a seminal work in the search for competence and mastery for me – I lend both my copies out frequently)

2. Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer (influenced Gladwell’s Blink heavily)

3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (these last two books are almost a point-counterpoint view of decision heuristics, and without either being right or wrong you get a more holistic view of the decision-making progress)