Identifiable Victim Effect: Monkey See, Monkey Help
The Problem On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed when police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes during an
Cognitive Biases
Clustering Illusion: See the Bigger Picture
Problem During World War II, German forces laid siege on Britain with a string of bombings in central London. A handful of neighborhoods were particularly
Planning Fallacy: Bit Off More Than You Can Chew?
Have You Ever? Picture this: it’s 6 P.M. on a school night. Your favorite TV show is just about to air a new episode and
Selection Bias: Don’t Forget About Me!
Have You Ever? Have you ever wondered why some studies show results that just aren’t consistent with reality? This can happen for many reasons, and
Status Quo Bias: If It Ain’t Broke, Why Fix It?
Have You Ever? Ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? As you probably well know, that saying refers to the idea
Curse of Knowledge: Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
Background It is the first day of your introduction to biology class and the teacher is speaking about microbes and their role in human everyday
Zero-Sum Bias: I Win, You Lose
Problem Why is it so difficult to teach young children to share their toys instead of hogging their playthings all to themselves? Similarly, why does
Backfire Effect: My Mind’s Made Up
Problem Mara is a typical teenager who happens to think that shark attacks happen relatively frequently to beachgoers, and that these attacks are mostly fatal.
Survivorship Bias: The Exception is not the Rule
Introduction Mel is an eight-year-old girl who’s always wanted to be a pop singer. Even at her young age, she’s taken notice of the starlets
Framing Effect: Do You Prefer the Glass to be Half-Empty or Half-Full?
Have You Ever? You’ve probably heard the expression, “Is the glass half empty or half full?” Now, imagine this scenario: you’re in a desert, dying
