Scientific Theories of Human Intuition

Intuition can shape decisions before we can fully explain how we arrived at them. This article from Artificial Intuition Research (AIR) explores the main scientific theories of human intuition and what each can, and cannot, explain. It examines several approaches to understanding intuitive judgment, including dual-process theories, coherence-based models, heuristic decision-making, recognition through experience, evidence accumulation, and strategy switching. Each offers a different perspective on how people reach rapid judgments, from recognising familiar patterns to combining information and adapting decision strategies to different situations. The article also considers research on large language models that produce responses resembling human intuitive judgments, distinguishing observable behavioural similarities from evidence about underlying cognitive processes. Rather than endorsing a single explanation, it examines where these theories overlap, where they differ, and which questions remain open. Developed from exploratory research undertaken during AIR’s Founding Research Internship Cohort, this article has been editorially reviewed and refined for publication and has not undergone formal journal peer review.