Menu
Cognitive
The Social Construction of Stories
June 4, 2016
I went for dinner with a friend who spent the whole of the evening complaining about her job, her boss, her colleagues, and her commute. Everything about her day-to-day experiences was miserable. Then, at the end of dinner, she said, "I love where I work." That's quite common. She was working for an organization where she'd always wanted to work, her parents were proud, her friends were jealous. How could she not be happy when she thought about the story of how happy she was where she was working?...
June 4, 2016
I went for dinner with a friend who spent the whole of the evening complaining about her job, her boss, her colleagues, and her commute. Everything about her day-to-day experiences was miserable. Then, at the end of dinner, she said, "I love where I work." That's quite common. She was working for an organization where she'd always wanted to work, her parents were proud, her friends were jealous. How could she not be happy when she thought about the story of how happy she was where she was working?...
7 Things to Say When a Conversation Turns Negative
June 3, 2016
Reframe — Cast the issue in a different light. Describe the other person’s words or actions in a way that behooves future interactions. If someone says, “I don’t want to fight about this,” a useful reframe of that comment is, “This is a debate, certainly not a fight. And you’re a good debater, as I recall.” Rephrase — Say the words in a different, less negative way. Should someone accuse you of having come on too strongly in a meeting, you might reply, “I was passionate.”...
June 3, 2016
Reframe — Cast the issue in a different light. Describe the other person’s words or actions in a way that behooves future interactions. If someone says, “I don’t want to fight about this,” a useful reframe of that comment is, “This is a debate, certainly not a fight. And you’re a good debater, as I recall.” Rephrase — Say the words in a different, less negative way. Should someone accuse you of having come on too strongly in a meeting, you might reply, “I was passionate.”...
Study: Apology Laws Speed Up Malpractice Litigation
May 31, 2016
Dr. Patrick McKenna, of the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has published a study on the effect of apology immunity laws in med mal cases. He found: that mean litigation length was 3.4 years in states with apology laws compared with 5.6 years in states without such laws. In the 38 states with apology laws, the mean litigation length was 4.4 years before apology laws were enacted and 4.1 years after the laws were enacted. Renal & Urology News has the story.
May 31, 2016
Dr. Patrick McKenna, of the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has published a study on the effect of apology immunity laws in med mal cases. He found: that mean litigation length was 3.4 years in states with apology laws compared with 5.6 years in states without such laws. In the 38 states with apology laws, the mean litigation length was 4.4 years before apology laws were enacted and 4.1 years after the laws were enacted. Renal & Urology News has the story.
Anchoring Legal Standards
May 31, 2016
This article presents the first empirical study on whether anchors influence the interpretation of vague legal standards. To test this question, the article presents a series of stylized experiments that measure and compare participants’ interpretation of a vague norm after they were exposed to anchors. Overall, the results suggest that the content of substantive legal rules might be altered by anchors. This effect is documented in numerous legal settings (e.g., torts, corporate, copyright) and across...
May 31, 2016
This article presents the first empirical study on whether anchors influence the interpretation of vague legal standards. To test this question, the article presents a series of stylized experiments that measure and compare participants’ interpretation of a vague norm after they were exposed to anchors. Overall, the results suggest that the content of substantive legal rules might be altered by anchors. This effect is documented in numerous legal settings (e.g., torts, corporate, copyright) and across...
Avoid Dumping Onto Others as Others Have Dumped Onto You
May 27, 2016
This phenomenon is called “generalized negative reciprocity” because it involves “pay back” with unfair behavior...
May 27, 2016
This phenomenon is called “generalized negative reciprocity” because it involves “pay back” with unfair behavior...
Empathy is Critical to Successful Negotiation
May 24, 2016
If you want your interests taken into consideration by the other party you should clearly explain them. When the parties feel they are paying attention to each other and honestly making an effort to settle a matter there’s a better chance of reaching a resolution. Discussions should focus on the desired outcome not on past events that created the conflict while being open to different proposals and positions. Examples of how this works comes from the political world where there is no lack of conflict....
May 24, 2016
If you want your interests taken into consideration by the other party you should clearly explain them. When the parties feel they are paying attention to each other and honestly making an effort to settle a matter there’s a better chance of reaching a resolution. Discussions should focus on the desired outcome not on past events that created the conflict while being open to different proposals and positions. Examples of how this works comes from the political world where there is no lack of conflict....
The Human Brain May Be Hardwired For Altruism; Certain Activity Inspires People To Be Kind And Generous
May 22, 2016
Psychologists have long debated whether altruism is a learned or innate behavior. "Our altruism may be more hardwired than previously thought," said Christov-Moore, the co-author of a new study in the journal Human Brain Mapping. The study consisted of three parts. First, each participant watched a video of a hand being poked with a pin. Next, the participants were asked to imitate photographs of different faces exhibiting emotions, like happiness, sadness, anger, and excitement. And lastly, the participants...
May 22, 2016
Psychologists have long debated whether altruism is a learned or innate behavior. "Our altruism may be more hardwired than previously thought," said Christov-Moore, the co-author of a new study in the journal Human Brain Mapping. The study consisted of three parts. First, each participant watched a video of a hand being poked with a pin. Next, the participants were asked to imitate photographs of different faces exhibiting emotions, like happiness, sadness, anger, and excitement. And lastly, the participants...
When Experimental Philosophy Meets Psychology
May 21, 2016
A Conversation between Joshua Knobe and Daniel Kahneman DANIEL KAHNEMAN: We're at the nub of the question. You come from philosophy, so there are certain things that are of interest to you. You want to convey two things at once: that the question is exciting, and that you have something new to say about it. It is true that I, as a psychologist, would come to the same question and conclude that it's an impossible question. Those are two impossible questions, and I certainly would not expect people...
May 21, 2016
A Conversation between Joshua Knobe and Daniel Kahneman DANIEL KAHNEMAN: We're at the nub of the question. You come from philosophy, so there are certain things that are of interest to you. You want to convey two things at once: that the question is exciting, and that you have something new to say about it. It is true that I, as a psychologist, would come to the same question and conclude that it's an impossible question. Those are two impossible questions, and I certainly would not expect people...
Google’s ‘Goals’ Could Be One Of The Largest Behavioral Science Experiments Ever Conducted
May 21, 2016
Can small changes to your calendar have big effects on your behavior? One of the biggest challenges behavioral scientists...
May 21, 2016
Can small changes to your calendar have big effects on your behavior? One of the biggest challenges behavioral scientists...
Ultra-Runner Mind – The Tougher It Gets, The More Fun It Is
May 20, 2016
After the run, the researchers interviewed the runner to understand what she perceived as the mental qualities that made for ultra success. She revealed four key factors: mental stamina; motivation to test one’s limits, a will that's generated by the enjoyable features of the journey; a sense of camaraderie with the partner; and self-awareness. As an example of the last factor, the running pair formalised a rule to communicate to teach other whenever they felt even a twinge of pain so that it could...
May 20, 2016
After the run, the researchers interviewed the runner to understand what she perceived as the mental qualities that made for ultra success. She revealed four key factors: mental stamina; motivation to test one’s limits, a will that's generated by the enjoyable features of the journey; a sense of camaraderie with the partner; and self-awareness. As an example of the last factor, the running pair formalised a rule to communicate to teach other whenever they felt even a twinge of pain so that it could...
