Intuitive Knowledge
Larry Birnbaum, PhD, FASEP, EPC
Associate Professor
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN  55811

In a recent book, Gladwell [1] discusses how we often make snap decisions that are good decisions, as good as or better than decisions we may make after considerable deliberation.  He refers to the part of the brain responsible for such decisions as the adaptive unconscious.  It may also be called intuitive knowledge.  It develops over time with experience.  Experience is the key to our intuitive knowledge.  What we experience shapes our thinking, including our instinctive responses.  For example, a novice working with a particular instrument (e.g., metabolic analyzer) will be less successful at troubleshooting than a more experienced operator.  The experienced exercise physiologist recognizes certain patterns or clues that tell him what is most likely wrong with the instrument.  Generally, the more experience one has working with an instrument, the better she will be at troubleshooting that instrument.

Intuitive knowledge enables us to respond quickly and often times appropriately.  It may even save our lives.  However, it also has a down side.  We do not always respond quickly in the best way, and this knowledge is also the source of our biases.  As stated in a previous article, we are all biased, and our biases are developed as a result of our experiences.  We may prefer one instrument over another for a number of reasons, some of which may be logical and some may be unexplainable.  We are discriminating.  It is a process that helps us make sense of our world, but it can also lead to poor decisions and improper behavior.

How can we gain the most from our intuitive knowledge without compromising our decisions and/or behavior?  We have to know when we can rely on our intuition and we cannot.  To know this, we must be cognizant of our biases and, ideally, the reasons for those biases.  Then we must not allow them to influence our decisions when that would result in a less than desirable outcome.  This is no easy task, given that intuitive decisions are typically rapid response decisions.  If some of our intuitive knowledge is based on false premises, we must change that knowledge.  Doing so may require getting out of our comfort zone, literally putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations that test our intuitive responses to stressful conditions.  Some police forces have required this type of training to improve the rapid responses of their officers [1]. 

Exercise physiologists may feel they never have to make quick decisions.  That depends on their work situation.  Even if rapid responses are not required for their work, how many quick decisions do exercise physiologists make in a given day or week that impact their work and profession?  What intuitive knowledge (i.e., biases) are those decisions based upon?  Do those biases enhance or impede the quality of rapid decision making, particularly with respect to the profession?

Obviously, not all decisions should be made in haste.  Some decisions are better made after considerable deliberation.  However, the same inherent biases may affect those decisions as well.  Thus, it is a good practice to periodically assess intuitive knowledge and determine how well it serves the professional working in the field and the profession as a whole.  This is particularly true in the light of the fact that professions, including exercise physiology, are constantly changing.  Changing our intuitive knowledge is not easy.  It requires a conscious, deliberate effort and may require special training as indicated above.  Given the cost of poor decisions, routine evaluation of our intuitive knowledge is essential as are corrective adjustments to keep our intuition in line with our ever advancing knowledge base.

References

1.  Gladwell, M.  (2005).  Blink:  The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.  New York:  Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company.