WHAT+IS+INTUITION?

Back to HOME > IB TOK > EMOTION =WHAT IS INTUITION?= ** Read the passage below. Think of occasions when you have felt a gut feeling. Did you act on the feeling? Did you try to analyse why you had the feeling? Looking back, can you explain now why you had the feeling? Did events prove that you were right about the feeling? Do you think intuition is a useful way of getting knowledge?
 * ACTIVITY

**__ Introduction (adapted from Intuition (psychology)) __** ** Intuition ** is the ability to acquire knowledge without [|inference] or the use of [|reason]. The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'’ or 'to contemplate'. Intuition provides us with [|beliefs] that we cannot necessarily justify. Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery. If you dismiss the notion that intuitive impulses arise supernaturally, one is left to assume they originate with the five [|human senses]. Remnants of perception, such as a movement occurring out of the " [|corner of your eye] " or subtle sound that would normally be ignored as background noise, could occur simultaneously. While these events could be filtered as irrelevant by the mind, their coincidental synchronicity could lead to sudden assumptions or a ‘gut reaction’ about one's surroundings, such as the feeling of being watched or followed. Intuitive abilities were quantitatively tested at Yale University in the 1970s. While studying [|nonverbal communication], researchers noted that some subjects were able to read nonverbal facial cues before reinforcement occurred. In employing a similar design, they noted that highly intuitive subjects made decisions quickly but could not identify their rationale. Their level of accuracy, however, did not differ from that of non-intuitive subjects. Law enforcement officers often claim to observe suspects and immediately "know" that they possess a weapon or illicit narcotic substances. Often unable to articulate why they reacted or what prompted them at the time of the event, they sometimes retrospectively can plot their actions based upon what had been clear and present danger signals. Such examples liken intuition to "gut feelings". Van de Lagemaat (2005) distinguishes between three different types of intuitions: Works cited "Intuition (psychology)." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. . Van de Lagemaat, Richard. //Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma.// Print, 2005, Cambridge University Press, UK
 * Core intuitions- what we believe about life, the universe and everything
 * Subject-specific intuitions- the gut feelings we have in various areas of knowledge such as science and mathematics
 * Social intuitions- our intuitions about other people- perhaps similar to first impressions