Discussion Questions

  1. Confirmation bias is the idea that we seek out information that is consistent with, and ignore information that is in contrast to, our personal thoughts and beliefs. Do you think engaging in confirmation bias is overt? Or, is it more of an unconscious effort?

  2. Being overconfident has been shown to negatively affect one’s ability to make a good decision. Is this to assume that a lack of confidence leads to the same detrimental outcome?

  3. Based on what you now know about heuristics, are there any you’ve been using in your day to day life? Give an example.

  4. Do you think attention plays a role in cognitive illusions and decision making?

  5. Impulsive behavior is typically associated with frontal lobe dysfunction. However, could impulsivity be a result of cognitive overload? Is it possible that having limited cognitive resources makes one more likely to have a “go for it” attitude because it’s an easy way out?