Concept in Definition ABC

The term we are analyzing comes from the Greek, specifically from the word heuriskein, which means to find or inquire. It is a very common term in two areas, the psychology and the computing.

In psychology it is used to refer to the decision-making process and the cognitive biases that can alter a correct final decision.

For its part, in computing it is used in relation to the calculation of probabilities and algorithms.

Decision making

All kinds of decisions are made throughout a lifetime. Some are very simple, like the bus line that we are going to take. Others are more complex, like the house we are going to buy. In any decision we place in a balance imaginary two fundamental elements: certainties and uncertainties. In other words, we calculate what benefits we are going to obtain and what risks we are going to take. Consequently, our brain has to constantly weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. To facilitate this task the human brain takes some shortcuts, also known as heuristics.

In this sense, heuristics would be like "alternative paths" of the mind to facilitate decision-making.

There are three major principles or heuristic strategies: representativeness, availability, and anchoring-fit.

The principle of representativeness refers to the fact that we have the tendency to give more probabilities to the most representative questions for our mind. Thus, if we think about the idea of ​​a footballer, it is very likely that we associate this mental representation with a young man, athletic and skilled with the ball.

The beginning of the availability indicates that we normally consider more likely what can be remembered more easily. Thus, if in the press reports I read that a crime has been committed in a city, it is very likely that you think that this city is more dangerous than others.

The anchor-fit principle refers to the estimates we make based on information that we already know. If the first time I play roulette I manage to win a prize (anchor idea), it is very likely that you think that I have a better chance of winning in the following visits (adjustment idea).

The three heuristic principles listed above are cognitive biases or simply biases, because in all of them there is an initial assumption that distorts the objective analysis of a situation.

In the context of computing

In computer language, a heuristic is like a search tree that allows establishing a strategy to find the shortest path in a given operation. Mathematical algorithms are the heuristic tools used for this purpose.

As good discipline scientific, Heuristics is plausible to be applied to any science, including the elaboration of auxiliary means, rules, principles, strategies, programs, among others, that facilitate different alternatives for the solution of the problems.