Multimedia Resources

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

The Availability Heuristic in Politics

Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-winston/fear-and-hopelessness-in_b_11134200.html

This Huffington Post article discusses how the availability heuristic can make us think that crime rates and terrorism are more common than they are and, in turn, how that can influence decisions.

  1. What tips can we use when reading news articles or listening to people talk about fear arousing events to avoid relying on heuristics in making decisions?
     

Michael Shermer: Why People Believe Weird Things

Video Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_on_believing_strange_things

Michael Shermer speaks at TED in 2006 on how human pattern seeking leads to cognitive biases and that these biases can lead people to see and hear things that do not exist or purchase products that do not actually do what they are supposed to.

  1. From an evolutionary perspective, what are the benefits to seeking patterns or relying on heuristics for survival?
     
  2. To what extent does a pre-existing belief influence our cognitive biases?
     

Theory vs. Hypothesis vs. Law … Explained

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqk3TKuGNBA

This video, part of the It’s Okay to be Smart YouTube Channel, discusses the difference between a scientific theory, hypothesis, laws, and facts.

  1. Discuss the differences between a scientific law, hypothesis, and theory.
     
  2. How do the scientific definitions of scientific theory and hypothesis differ from how people less familiar with science define these terms?
     

Wason Selection Task

Experiment Link: http://www.philosophyexperiments.com/wason/

It provides a description and example of the Wason selection task as well as explanations of the correct choices for disconfirming the rule.

  1. Why do people typically choose cards that confirm the statement rather than disconfirm the statement?
     

Research vs. Commonsense

Article Link: https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RD_Connections_20.pdf

This article from Educational Testing Services (ETS) discusses commonsense beliefs about the SAT and whether research supports commonsense ideas and suggestions about the SAT.

  1. Were there any ideas and suggestions that you were surprised to see unsupported by the data?
     
  2. How can research support, refute, or change some of our commonsense beliefs?