In the 1970s, psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky were the initiators of one of those small revolutions that occasionally happen in the world of science, when creative individuals launch original and elegant ideas that quickly become popular in wider circles and inspire numerous researchers to do the same. follow in their footsteps and develop new lines of inquiry. In this case, it is about the research of mental processes that take place when making decisions under conditions of uncertainty and risk, as well as numerous biases and errors that characterize human thinking in such situations. The influence of their works is also reflected in the fact that they have been cited hundreds of thousands of times in the scientific literature, and that Kahneman received the Nobel Prize (which could not be awarded to Tversky, because he had already died). Research in this area continues at an unabated pace, and the book in front of readers is part of that scientific endeavor.
The book is a collection of papers that provides a systematic account of a number of cognitive biases and fallacies identified by Kahneman and Tversky, as well as many subsequent researchers. Among the authors of the chapters, a slight majority are members of Serbian universities, but there is also a solid number of regional (Croatian, Bosnian and Slovenian) and international (but ‘domestic’) authors. Collecting such a composition was a serious organizational undertaking, and it gives the book a special charm, and makes it a rarity in academic psychological literature from these parts in recent decades. In the collection, one chapter is dedicated to each individual cognitive phenomenon, and they are grouped into five major thematic units. All chapters are structured in approximately the same way (description of phenomena, experimental procedure, obtained findings, proposed theories). This publication represents a fundamental scientific project and will certainly be of great use to older students and younger researchers, but also to experts who want a concise and reliable overview of contemporary knowledge about certain cognitive phenomena.
Prof. Dr. Dejan Todorović, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy
The editor of the volume is Kaja Damnjanović, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy
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