Posts in Human Bias

157 | Motivated Reasoning

Have you ever heard someone self-describe as “socially liberal and fiscally conservative?” If that grinds your gears, you might be avoiding conflicting thoughts altogether and falling victim to motivated reasoning. Life isn’t black and white, but if you’re comfortable in your own beliefs then you probably haven’t heard another opinion in a while. Behavior analysts especially should echo our essential attitude of Philosophical Doubt and always consider the unseen variables at play. The world is an ever-changing platform of complication and contention, but we can continuously work together for the greater good by monitoring our systems

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Philosophy, Human BiasScott Abraham MillerMay 20, 2020Abraham, RyanO, Alan, Motivated Reasoning, Skepticism, Rationalization, logical reasoning, SGU, Skeptics Guide to the UniverseComment

148 | False Memories: The Mandela Effect

The Mandela Effect is widespread false memories that often carry cultural significance. In this discussion, we describe several examples of the Mandela Effect, what it is, and why it happens. We probably name several things that you thought were true but aren’t, or thought happened but didn’t. Reality isn’t real!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Human BiasScott Abraham MillerMarch 18, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shanebraham, Skepticism, False Memories, Memory, Mandela Effect, Nelson Mandela, Jiff Peanut Butter, Darth Vader, Star Wars, Kazaam, Shaq, Cognitive Bias, Cognitive Error, CultureComment

145 | Imposter Syndrome

We are not worthy! Many people who have accomplished a great deal in life nevertheless feel as though they don’t deserve their credentials, responsibilities, or accolades. This can manifest as people overworking themselves, procrastinating, or generally having the experience of fear and anxiety about themselves. Furthermore, people might fail to make contributions where they would otherwise be able to because they don’t trust themselves to fulfill the expectations that have been bestowed on them. Have you ever felt this way? You’re not alone. Let us know!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Philosophy, ACT, Human BiasScott Abraham MillerFebruary 26, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shanebraham, Imposter, Lone Wolf, Expert, Fraud, Unworthy, Acccomplished, Accolades, Success, FailureComment

141 | Are Kids Losing Their Attention Span? | Why We Do What We Do

Throughout time, adults have been frustrated by… oh look at that cloud… just kidding :) But really, there is this myth that kids have shorter attention spans than ever before. This is fueled in part by a “study” that apparently doesn’t exist, but nevertheless got picked up by the news. Movies are sometimes used as a metric for shortening attention spans, but it is likely an artifact of competing for people’s time. Also, goldfish are a terrible comparison for attention. In short, no kids are not losing their attention span. Actually, we are probably getting increasingly efficient at identifying and regulating our attention to things that are or aren’t worth our time. Myth busted.

Survey ends in January!

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138 | Why People Do Stupid Things (Part 2) | Why We Do What We Do

This is a continuation of our discussion on the “stupid” things that people do. In this discussion, we cover procrastinating, eating junk food, buying super over-priced non-essentials, fashion, being late to things, and refusing to learn new things. We also summarize some basic themes of why people do things that appear to be stupid.

Survey ends in January!

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ACT, Human Bias, PhilosophyScott Abraham MillerJanuary 8, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shanebraham, Perspective-Taking, Stupidity, Why People Do Stupid Things, Rubbernecking, Parking, recyclingComment

137 | Why People Do Stupid Things (Part 1) | Why We Do What We Do

Happy new year! This is a nice light-hearted episode in which we armchair some explanations for why people do “stupid” things. Ultimately, stupid things aren’t really stupid after all. In a sense, this is an exercise in perspective-taking. We tackle 8 things in part one and 7 more in part two.

Survey ends in January!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

ACT, Human Bias, PhilosophyScott Abraham MillerJanuary 1, 2020Abraham, Shane, Shanebraham, Perspective-Taking, Stupidity, Why People Do Stupid Things, Rubbernecking, Parking, recyclingComment

129 | Tapping Meridian Points | Why We Do What We Do

Meridian points are the gateways through which “chi” flows into our bodies. These specialized pores in our skin conduct chi such that with an appropriate balance we find ourselves in good physical and mental health, but with imbalance we find ourselves in poor mental and physical health. Traditionally accomplished through acupuncture, many argue the same outcome is accessible through applying any kind of attention or pressure to meridian points. Except that every single thing about this is not backed by science, medicine, logic, or common sense. Learn about the damning history of meridian points and why we can and should forever let go of this way of magical thinking.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Links for Today:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/ (narrative description of the cordyceps fungus taking over ants)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/cordyceps-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants/ (mostly images of insects infected with cordyceps fungus)
https://youtu.be/XuKjBIBBAL8 (video documentary of the cordyceps fungus in ants)
https://www.livescience.com/51764-wasp-spider-zombies.html (zombie spiders! When wasps plant their larva in spiders)
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/mind-controlling-wasps-enslave-zombie-spiders-build-them-perfect-nest/ (elaboration on wasps turning spiders into zombies)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/08/zombie-flies-mind-control-fungus-animals/ (video of flies being zombified by fungus; gross)

Human Bias, Myth-Busting, PseudoscienceScott Abraham MillerNovember 6, 2019Abraham, Shane, Shanebraham, Meridian Points, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Reflexology, Jim Kwik, Pseudoscience, Skepticism, Skeptical Activism, Placebo, Motivated ReasoningComment

126 | Where Our Superstitions Come From | Why We Do What We Do

Knocking on wood, blessing a sneeze, crossing your fingers for luck, and the belief that saying something will happen jinxes the likelihood of that happening are all examples of just a few of the crazy superstitions people have. Some culture-specific superstitions have the opposite meaning across cultures. What you may not know is that most of us have superstitions we don’t even recognize that we have! What are your superstitions? Listen in as Shane and Abraham explain where our superstitions come from, that is, why people become superstitious, as well as revealing our own silly superstitions, at least the ones we know about…

ATTENTION! We are doing a special promotion! If you complete a listener survey, you will earn a WWDWWD sticker in the mail and get entered to win a free t-shirt! The survey shouldn’t take longer than 3-10 minutes and is completely private. We will NOT share your data or information with anyone else. Follow this link to receive a sticker, be entered to win a free shirt, and to help us make the best show for you!

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

120 | Sign Language With Primates | Why We Do What We Do

People have been curious about the language of other species, and specifically if other species can learn human language. In the 1960’s and 1970’s some researchers in the United States believed that they had broken the species language barrier by teaching primates sign language. But where are all of the signing apes now? Shane and Abraham discuss the history and controversy of the trials and attempts to teach language to primates.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

113 | You Know Less Than You Think: The Dunning-Kruger Effect | Why We Do What We Do

A common cognitive bias we have is that we tend to think we are better informed and experienced in things that we really are. The examples are practically endless and everyone does it. What are you worse at than you think? Listen in as Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) describe the study that started a tsunami of research on basic human fallibility. Also, find out what lemons have to do with a bank robbery in the late 1990’s…

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Human Bias, Psychological History, PhilosophyScott Abraham MillerJuly 17, 2019Detention, Dunning-Kruger Effect, Cognitive Bias, You Know Less Than You Think, McArthur Wheeler, Skepticism, Shanebraham, Shane, Abraham, Lemon JuiceComment

112 | Expelled: Racial Inequality in School Discipline With Dr. Kent McIntosh | Why We Do What We Do

When you control for other factors, minorities are far more likely to receive office discipline referrals, detention, and expulsion. How far does racial inequality go in school discipline? What can be done to mitigate this problem? Dr. Kent McIntosh is the director for Educational and Community Supports in the College of Education at the University of Oregon and an expert in disproportionality in school discipline. He joined us for a discussion on this important topic that goes deeper than you might think.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Human Bias, PBIS, EducationScott Abraham MillerJuly 10, 2019Detention, Positive Intervention and Supports, Kent McIntosh, Expulsion, Racial Inequality, Disproportionality, School DisciplineComment

111 | Too Many Choices! Option Paralysis | Why We Do What We Do

Sometimes we find ourselves faced with so many options that we choose to do nothing at all. What is the deal with that? Shane and Abraham discuss the theories regarding why we freeze in the face of overwhelming options and some strategies to overcome feeling paralyzed by choosing.

Listen in, and remember that you can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Human Bias, Behavioral EconomicsScott Abraham MillerJuly 3, 2019Overchoice, Choice Overload, Paradox of Choice, Choice, Choices, Paralysis By Analysis, Too Many Choices, Can't Choose Comment

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