Ill-differentiated triggers

This was on the wall next to a secure door.

To exit, I had to touch one of these buttons.

But which one?

With such ambiguity, I wonder if they get lots of false alarms? I wonder if all the doors in the building have panels arranged in the same way? Or whether some of the panels are swapped around in some cases?

We can hold similarly ill-differentiated triggers in our heads. When we decide to do something (applying for a promotion), or react to a situation (someone made a rude comment), we can choose a course of action without thinking. And that may not be the constructive one.

When we are not conscious of the choices we have, or when our choice is habituated, we can can push the wrong button repeatedly. Or we may forget that there are other alternatives.