The Economics of Cognitive Negligence

The essence of the decision-making mechanism rational individuals in economics is to ensure balance between benefits and costs. benefit received from a decision expected be higher than its cost. It so cognitive activities. Any practice may require effort, expenses, time-use some extent. However, actors do not always all they can. A significant reason for using abilities adequately verbal, written, visual information production individuals’ wholly bearing negative consequences their actions. Such attitude differs similar notions ignorance, inattention, mental laziness. This paper introduces new concept, negligence, that refers tendency avoid cost maximize activities by making an implicit or explicit cost-benefit analysis. presents why how negligence emerges. defines factors affecting it, such as position actor, perception importance, context type activity, time action, social distance, diversity audience. Its relationship with lying, distortion, critical thinking discussed. Finally, are evaluated.