Over the last two decades, Americans have become more distrustful of traditional media sources. Pejorative terms like “fake news” and “mainstream media” have become particularly common among Americans in the last few years as a way to express frustration with how traditional institutions are reporting the news. Still, two out of three Americans say that the news is very important in holding political leaders accountable. What’s behind the drop in trust and what can…
Read MoreIt is certainly interesting times that we find ourselves in. Fake news, pervasive science denial, a new conspiracy theory seemingly every week, tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths from the pandemic that could have been easily avoided by acknowledging the recommendations coming from the scientific community, and many more examples. Society is swimming in false information that is literally costing people their lives at this point and driving us apart through polarization [1]. But what can we do? Quite a bit actually…
Read MoreEstablishing the credibility of information and claims in today’s information-dense world can be challenging. How do you know that information and claims you hear about are worth trusting as accurate? How do you avoid mistakes in your own thinking when deciding if something is true or when deciding on a particular course of action? Critical thinking is a method for…
Read MoreCognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from rationality. The way that we see the world is completely subjective as our senses do not perfectly render the world around us. As a result, we can never be truly objective, which often times leads to inaccuracies in judgment, distortions in perception, illogical interpretation, or what is broadly called irrationality. These biases can also be thought of as our brain's way of taking “shortcuts” in decision making when timeliness outweighs the importance of accuracy. While there are well over 100 different cognitive biases that we are aware of, ten of the more prominent biases are presented here.
Read MoreThe technological revolution, with its explosion of data and far reaching accessibility, has forever changed the way humanity consumes information. Whereas once upon a time, before the days of the World Wide Web, information (along with accessibility) was limited; those days are now long gone. Today, humanity is constantly barraged with digital information. Whether it is the overwhelming surplus of questionable content or clickbait that serves no other purpose than driving traffic for the sake of sales, there’s….
Read MoreConfirmation bias is a cognitive bias where people have a tendency to search out, interpret, or even recall information in a way that reinforces preexisting beliefs. Once a view is formed, people tend to embrace information that confirms that view while….
Read MoreA type of cognitive bias where people fail to adequately assess their level of competence or incompetence. Individuals of low ability experience illusory superiority (i.e., an overestimation of one's own qualities and abilities in relation to the same qualities and abilities of others) and incorrectly assess their cognition at a level greater than it is. In other words….
Read MoreA type of cognitive bias where your judgments are influenced by what most easily comes to mind. How emotionally powerful, eccentric, or recent your memories are can make them more relevant to you. For example, when we see a news report about a shark attack or a plane crash, it can make us believe that….
Read MoreThere is a psychological phenomenon which people often experience in everyday life when presented with new information. In that moment, if the newly presented information contradicts one of your currently held beliefs, you will most likely feel discomfort or uneasiness. This discomfort is a direct result of humans'….
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