Dual process theory
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In psychology, a Dual process theory provides an account of how a phenomenon can occur in two different ways, or as a result of two different processes. Often, the two processes consist of an automatic, unconscious process and a controlled, conscious process. Dual process theories can be found in social, personality, cognitive, and clinical psychology.
Dual process models are very common in the study of social psychological variables, such as attitude change. Examples include Petty and Cacioppo's Elaboration Likelihood Model and Chaiken's Heuristic Systematic Model. According to these models, persuasion may occur after either intense scrutiny or extremely superficial thinking. In cognitive psychology, attention and working memory have also been conceptualized as relying on two distinct processes.[1]
Roy Baumeister recently surveyed the research literature and proposed a dual process or "duplex model" of the mind. According to this model, humans typically operate on two levels, conscious and automatic.[2] The conscious mind is effortful and limited in capacity, whereas the automatic mind processes many things simultaneously and independently of each other. An example would be walking and chewing gum (automatic), while having a conversation with a friend (conscious). Automatic events are often but not necessarily outside of conscious awareness. Baumeister's approach is noteworthy as a broad attempt to integrate different areas of research into a unified model of psychology.
