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Cognitive
Confirmation Bias: How Intelligent People Develop Totally Incorrect Beliefs
March 5, 2017
The full moon is NOT linked to busier hospital emergency rooms or more births, a new study finds. The belief that there might be a link is likely down to a bias in the way even intelligent people think called the confirmation bias. Jean-Luc Margot, a UCLA professor of planetary astronomy, who carried out the study, said: “Some nurses ascribe the apparent chaos to the moon, but dozens of studies show that the belief is unfounded.” Despite the belief being remarkably common in hospitals,...
March 5, 2017
The full moon is NOT linked to busier hospital emergency rooms or more births, a new study finds. The belief that there might be a link is likely down to a bias in the way even intelligent people think called the confirmation bias. Jean-Luc Margot, a UCLA professor of planetary astronomy, who carried out the study, said: “Some nurses ascribe the apparent chaos to the moon, but dozens of studies show that the belief is unfounded.” Despite the belief being remarkably common in hospitals,...
How to Overcome Bias
March 3, 2017
How do you persuade somebody of the facts? Asking them to be fair, impartial and unbiased is not enough. To explain why, psychologist Tom Stafford analyses a classic scientific study. One of the tricks our mind plays is to highlight evidence which confirms what we already believe. The finding is good news for our faith in human nature. It isn’t that we don’t want to discover the truth, at least in the microcosm of reasoning tested in the experiment. All people needed was a strategy which helped...
March 3, 2017
How do you persuade somebody of the facts? Asking them to be fair, impartial and unbiased is not enough. To explain why, psychologist Tom Stafford analyses a classic scientific study. One of the tricks our mind plays is to highlight evidence which confirms what we already believe. The finding is good news for our faith in human nature. It isn’t that we don’t want to discover the truth, at least in the microcosm of reasoning tested in the experiment. All people needed was a strategy which helped...
The Function of Reason
February 26, 2017
Contrary to the standard view of reason as a capacity that enhances the individual in his or her cognitive capacities—the standard image is of Rodin’s "Thinker," thinking on his own and discovering new ideas—what we say now is that the basic functions of reason are social. They have to do with the fact that we interact with each other’s bodies and with each other’s minds. And to interact with other’s minds is to be able to represent a representation that others have, and to have them...
February 26, 2017
Contrary to the standard view of reason as a capacity that enhances the individual in his or her cognitive capacities—the standard image is of Rodin’s "Thinker," thinking on his own and discovering new ideas—what we say now is that the basic functions of reason are social. They have to do with the fact that we interact with each other’s bodies and with each other’s minds. And to interact with other’s minds is to be able to represent a representation that others have, and to have them...
Are You and the Other Party Talking Past Each Other?
February 16, 2017
You and the opposing attorney or party may be very good communicators yet still not listen to or hear each other. The reason may be your communication styles may be so different that you may perceive each other as annoying or irritating which is not a recipe for negotiation success. If you are a venter and your opponent communicates as an explainer, you may perceive them as lecturing you, belaboring a point, talking down to you or even shaming you or your client. If you are an explainer and your...
February 16, 2017
You and the opposing attorney or party may be very good communicators yet still not listen to or hear each other. The reason may be your communication styles may be so different that you may perceive each other as annoying or irritating which is not a recipe for negotiation success. If you are a venter and your opponent communicates as an explainer, you may perceive them as lecturing you, belaboring a point, talking down to you or even shaming you or your client. If you are an explainer and your...
Running Has These Unbelievable Effects On The Brain
February 11, 2017
Runners show greater connectivity between vital parts of the brain than non-runners, new research finds. Stronger connections are seen in areas important for decision-making, planning and controlling attention. It is one of the first studies to show the benefits of running on younger brains in this way. Fewer studies, though, have looked at repetitive activities like running or cycling. Dr Raichlen said: “These activities that people consider repetitive actually involve many...
February 11, 2017
Runners show greater connectivity between vital parts of the brain than non-runners, new research finds. Stronger connections are seen in areas important for decision-making, planning and controlling attention. It is one of the first studies to show the benefits of running on younger brains in this way. Fewer studies, though, have looked at repetitive activities like running or cycling. Dr Raichlen said: “These activities that people consider repetitive actually involve many...
Relevance and Importance of Neuroscience for Law
February 7, 2017
Michael S. Pardo and Dennis Patterson (University of Alabama School of Law and European University Institute) has posted The Promise of Neuroscience for Law: 'Overclaiming' in Jurisprudence, Morality, and Economics (Patterson, Dennis, and Michael S. Pardo (eds.). Philosophical Foundations of Law and Neuroscience. Oxford University Press, 2016, 231-248) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Claims for the relevance and importance of neuroscience for law are stronger than ever. Notwithstanding persuasive...
February 7, 2017
Michael S. Pardo and Dennis Patterson (University of Alabama School of Law and European University Institute) has posted The Promise of Neuroscience for Law: 'Overclaiming' in Jurisprudence, Morality, and Economics (Patterson, Dennis, and Michael S. Pardo (eds.). Philosophical Foundations of Law and Neuroscience. Oxford University Press, 2016, 231-248) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Claims for the relevance and importance of neuroscience for law are stronger than ever. Notwithstanding persuasive...
Article Asks Whether Arbitrators are Human
February 6, 2017
This audience might be interested in reading an article that appeared in the December 2016 volume of the Journal of Empirical Studies entitled “Are Arbitrators Human?” Authored by a Ph.D. candidate in human development (Rebecca K. Helm, Cornell), a federal magistrate judge (Judge Andrew J. Wistrich, CD Cal.), and a law professor (Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, Cornell), the article reports on empirical research indicating that “arbitrators perform about the same as judges in experiments designed...
February 6, 2017
This audience might be interested in reading an article that appeared in the December 2016 volume of the Journal of Empirical Studies entitled “Are Arbitrators Human?” Authored by a Ph.D. candidate in human development (Rebecca K. Helm, Cornell), a federal magistrate judge (Judge Andrew J. Wistrich, CD Cal.), and a law professor (Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, Cornell), the article reports on empirical research indicating that “arbitrators perform about the same as judges in experiments designed...
Inside the Arbitrator’s Mind
February 6, 2017
Arbitrators are lead actors in global dispute resolution. They are to global dispute resolution what judges are to domestic dispute resolution. Despite its global significance, arbitral decision making is a black box. This Article is the first to use original experimental research to explore how international arbitrators decide cases. We find that arbitrators often make intuitive and impressionistic decisions, rather than fully deliberative decisions. We also find evidence that casts doubt on the conventional...
February 6, 2017
Arbitrators are lead actors in global dispute resolution. They are to global dispute resolution what judges are to domestic dispute resolution. Despite its global significance, arbitral decision making is a black box. This Article is the first to use original experimental research to explore how international arbitrators decide cases. We find that arbitrators often make intuitive and impressionistic decisions, rather than fully deliberative decisions. We also find evidence that casts doubt on the conventional...
Teenagers’ Brains Process Risk Differently When Mum is Around
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
Why Smart People Don’t Multitask
February 4, 2017
I have often doubted those who say they mulitask well. This is because working memory has only a limited number of slots,...
February 4, 2017
I have often doubted those who say they mulitask well. This is because working memory has only a limited number of slots,...
