Kluge in decision making

Professor Gary Marcus's book "Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind", sounds fascinating.

This is part of the review from Publisher's Weekly, as found at Amazon:

"Why are we subject to irrational beliefs, inaccurate memories, even war? We can thank evolution, Marcus says, which can only tinker with structures that already exist, rather than create new ones: Natural selection... tends to favor genes that have immediate advantages rather than long-term value. Marcus ..., refers to this as kluge, a term engineers use to refer to a clumsily designed solution to a problem. Thus, memory developed in our prehominid ancestry to respond with immediacy, rather than accuracy; one result is erroneous eyewitness testimony in courtrooms. In describing the results of studies of human perception, cognition and beliefs, Marcus encapsulates how the mind is contaminated by emotions, moods, desires, goals, and simple self-interest.... The mind's fragility, he says, is demonstrated by mental illness, which seems to have no adaptive purpose."

I've not yet had a chance to read it, but Jeremy Dean at PsyBlog has a useful summary of how Marcus suggests we overcome the deficiencies of the human mind in decision making (see descriptions on Jeremy's blog):

1. Whenever possible, consider alternatives

2. Reframe the question

3. Correlation doesn't equal causation

4. Never forget the sample size

5. Anticipate your impulsivity

6. Make contingency plans

7. Make important decisions when relaxed and rested

8. Weigh costs against benefits

9. Imagine your decision will be spot-checked

10. Distance yourself

11. Beware the vivid, personal and anecdotal

12. All decisions are not equal

13. Be rational!