Anticipating the Zombie Apocalypse

Some of the most important challenges in teaching Intelligence Analysis in anacademic context are to make the students reflect on their own biases and toconvey how group dynamics shape the analytical process. Only by learningthis can they understand the ease with which an individual or group slips intofamiliar patterns of thinking and thus fails to identify new, unexpecteddevelopments. According to the late Central Intelligence Agency specialist inthis area, Richards J. Heuer Jr., these psychological factors can be a seriousimpediment to accurate analyses.1 In addition, in order to be adequatelyprepared for the prevalence of contemporary information warfare, studentsneed to familiarize themselves with deception and improve their ability todetect it in order to avoid being misled. Since bias and group dynamics aretwo of the most important components exploited in deception operations, thetwo issues are connected. Including both the psychological factors and themechanisms of deception in the same exercises arguably facilitates teachingand makes it easier for the students to grasp these concepts.2

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