Dual-Process Theory, Behavioral Research, and the Explanation of Social Inequalities

This article explores how dual-process theory (DPT) can be articulated to build a comprehensive toolbox of mechanisms for explaining social phenomena and, more specifically, social inequalities. I argue that a major strength of Evans and Stanovich’s dual-process approach is that it recognizes the heuristic relevance of both automatic and controlled processes and specifies the conditions of their activation, providing a situated perspective on human rationality. This approach moves beyond the duality of processes to articulate the psychological architecture and dynamics of decision-making. I outline how social researchers can derive several explanatory mechanisms of social phenomena from this framework. I develop a typology of inequality-generating mechanisms and apply it to the analysis of social class, gender, and ethno-racial inequalities, arguing that this approach offers a more comprehensive understanding of social inequalities than do bounded rationality and Bourdieusian approaches.