Fig. 1

A model for diagnostic reasoning based on dual-process theory (from Ely et al. with permission).[9] System 1 thinking can be influenced by multiple factors, many of them subconscious (emotional polarization toward the patient, recent experience with the diagnosis being considered, specific cognitive or affective biases), and is therefore represented with multiple channels, whereas system 2 processes are, in a given instance, single-channeled and linear. System 2 overrides system 1 (executive override) when physicians take a time-out to reflect on their thinking, possibly with the help of checklists. In contrast, system 1 may irrationally override system 2 when physicians insist on going their own way (e.g., ignoring evidence-based clinical decision rules that can usually outperform them). Notes: Dysrationalia denotes the inability to think rationally despite adequate intelligence. “Calibration” denotes the degree to which the perceived and actual diagnostic accuracy correspond