Gaze heuristic explained

The gaze heuristic falls under the category of tracking heuristics, and it is used in directing correct motion to achieve a goal using one main variable.^[1] McLeod & Dienes' (1996) example of the gaze heuristic is catching a ball.^{[2] [3]}

Gerd Gigerenzer categorizes the gaze heuristic under tracking heuristics,^[4] where human animals and non-human animals are able to process large amounts of information quickly and react, regardless of whether the information is consciously processed.^[5]

The gaze heuristic is a critical element in animal behavior, being used in predation heavily.^[6] At the most basic level, the gaze heuristic ignores all casual relevant variables to make quick gut reactions.

Example

A catcher using the gaze heuristic observes the initial angle of the ball and runs towards it in such a way as to keep this angle constant.^[7] The gaze heuristic does not require knowledge of any of the variables required by the optimizing approach, nor does it require the catcher to integrate information, yet it allows the catcher to catch the ball.^[8] The gaze heuristic may therefore be described at ecologically rational at least in the simple case of catching a ball in the air.

Notes and References

1. Shaffer et al., 2004, Psychological Science; McLeod et al., 2003, Nature
2. McLeod . P. . Dienes . Z. . 1996 . Do fielders know where to go to catch the ball or only how to get there? . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance . 22 . 3 . 531–543 . 10.1037/0096-1523.22.3.531 . 6 May 2024.
3. Gigerenzer. G.. Gaissmaier. W.. 2011. Heuristic Decision Making. Annual Review of Psychology. 62. 451–482. 10.1146/annurev-psych-120709-145346. 6 May 2024. For instance, in order to pursue a prey or a mate, bats, birds, and fish do not compute trajectories in three-dimensional space, but simply maintain a constant optical angle between their target and themselves—a strategy called the gaze heuristic (Gigerenzer 2007, Shaffer et al. 2004). In order to catch a fly ball, baseball outfielders and cricket players rely on the same kind of heuristics rather than trying to compute the ball’s trajectory (McLeod & Dienes 1996).. 11858/00-001M-0000-0024-F16D-5. free.
4. Gigerenzer. Gerd. Brighton. Henry. 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2008.01006.x. Homo Heuristicus: Why Biased Minds Make Better Inferences. Topics in Cognitive Science. 1. 1. 107–143. 2009. 6 May 2024. If the player sees the ball rising from the point at which it was hit with accelerating speed, the player should run backward, because the ball will hit the ground behind the player’s position. If, however, the ball rises with decreasing speed, the player needs to run toward the ball instead. Just as there is a class of such tracking heuristics, there is a class of one-good-reason heuristics, of which take-the-best is one member.. 11858/00-001M-0000-0024-F678-0. free.
5. Gigerenzer. Gerd. Brighton. Henry. 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2008.01006.x. Homo Heuristicus: Why Biased Minds Make Better Inferences. Topics in Cognitive Science. 1. 1. 107–143. 2009. 6 May 2024. 11858/00-001M-0000-0024-F678-0. free.
6. Shaffer et al., 2004, Psychological Science; McLeod et al., 2003, Nature
7. http://djmarsay.wordpress.com/bibliography/rationality-and-uncertainty/more-rationality/gigerenzers-homo-heuristicus/ Gigerenzer's Heuristics
8. http://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/ft/wb/WB_Fast_2006.pdf Fast and frugal heuristics in sports