Warning: you may learn something.

"The exciting thing about truth discernment is that it is not just a genetic ability (though genetics is surely a contributing factor). It is an ability that we can improve a great deal if we take the time to hone our thinking. We can familiarize ourselves with the logical fallacies to the point where our brain notices them occurring in real-time. We can learn the cognitive biases so that we know the ways our brains are likely to fail us and can consciously correct for these failures. We can learn to prevent unhelpful emotions from derailing our logic too often. We can practice our reasoning by drilling in LSAT questions. And we can learn the methods of rationality, or at least read about another person using them."

- Spencer Greenberg



Your mind is your most valuable resource. And here, it can win you prizes!

There are two ways to win:

#1 - Each day, a new logic/rationality/probability question will be posed. Message me with your answer. Correct answers will earn you a raffle ticket.

#2 - Each day, a handful of cognitive biases will be selected. Choose one, learn about it, and describe (in 150-500 words) a situation in which you fell victim to this particular bias. Post it here! Completing this task will earn you a raffle ticket.

You may earn up to two tickets per day.



Friday, August 5th.


Today's prize: Wood Sprite (April 2009 CI)

Complete one (or both!) of the tasks below to be entered in a raffle for this item. The raffle will be drawn TODAY, August 5th, at midnight CST.



Task One
Answer by message [to Doomfishy]; do NOT post here.

Before you is a table with four cards. You're aware that each of these cards has a mythological creature drawn on one side and a color painted on the other. You know that there may be more than one card with each color or creature, but that's not necessarily the case.

You glance at the tabletop and see the following: a blue card, a red card, a satyr card, and a unicorn card.

A mysterious figure appears behind you and whispers into your ear the following: "This rule is true: if a card is blue on its colored side, it'll have a unicorn on the other."

Which card(s) must you flip to discern whether or not the mysterious figure is lying to you?

Task Two
Post your answer in this thread.

Choose one of the following biases and describe, in 150-500 words, a real situation in which you fell victim to it.

Today's biases are: confirmation bias, cryptomnesia, hindsight bias, and omission bias.

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Aaaand... we're in business!

Interesting thread. I think I'll type up my thoughts when the time comes. :)

This actually does catch my interest. Are you a psychology student?

I am indeed!

I thought so! This seems like the type of thing that a psychology student would be interested in. I think it would be interesting to take psychology as my minor.

I'm thinking about Task 1 right now. Will we be told the correct answer after submitting our own?

I really like this idea. It's quite fun!

Originally Posted by Dystopia

I thought so! This seems like the type of thing that a psychology student would be interested in. I think it would be interesting to take psychology as my minor.

I'm thinking about Task 1 right now. Will we be told the correct answer after submitting our own?

I'll just let you know whether you got it correct or incorrect - but I'll post the correct answer after the raffle!

@ Doom - Ah damn. But this is going to haunt me.xD

The questions are actually all adaptations of items a friend of mine crafted for his company's job application. So, who knows - they might be useful one day!

This is such a neat thread idea! I might have to write up something if I have some time!

Please do! The Wood Sprite's going to be a steal if the rest of the night goes like this. :3

One of the biases I have fallen victem to is "confirmation bias." I am a person who tends to be very hard on herself. Even though I know intellectually that I am worthy of good things including love from others, sometimes it is hard to feel that emotionally. So when things happen in a relationship, I sometimes look at them more negatively than I should. In accordance with "schema theory" I would notice or remember things that fit my pre-defined conception of myself and how I deserved to be treated by others.

Recently this has happened with my relationship with my husband. He comes home from work very tired and often wants to spend time alone decompressing. Sometimes he is not tired from work but still wants to spend time with his computer games instead of doing activities with me. Sometimes we would spend time with me but I felt that I would like more time with him. And I would think that he did not want to spend time with me, when in fact he did want to, and most of the time was tired. But I was remembering all the times that he wasn't tired and still wanted to spend time with his comptuer games, instead of looking at it more objectively.

Hey hey there!

(Hmmmm, is it confirmation bias that I think every rainbow-themed avatar I've seen here is fantastic?)

Originally Posted by diaveborn

One of the biases I have fallen victem to is "confirmation bias." I am a person who tends to be very hard on herself. Even though I know intellectually that I am worthy of good things including love from others, sometimes it is hard to feel that emotionally. So when things happen in a relationship, I sometimes look at them more negatively than I should. In accordance with "schema theory" I would notice or remember things that fit my pre-defined conception of myself and how I deserved to be treated by others.

Recently this has happened with my relationship with my husband. He comes home from work very tired and often wants to spend time alone decompressing. Sometimes he is not tired from work but still wants to spend time with his computer games instead of doing activities with me. Sometimes we would spend time with me but I felt that I would like more time with him. And I would think that he did not want to spend time with me, when in fact he did want to, and most of the time was tired. But I was remembering all the times that he wasn't tired and still wanted to spend time with his comptuer games, instead of looking at it more objectively.

Confirmation bias is one of my "favorite" biases just because it's so damn difficult to avoid. As someone who struggles frequently with maladaptive thoughts, I really empathize with you.

You think my rainbow-themed avi is fantastic?? Yay!!!

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Ahhh poop:( My answer wasn't correct! Can't wait to see what the answer was!

It's very shiny. Want! -makes grabby hands-

It really is hard to avoid Doomfishy! I try to be analytical about things so that I can avoid it (especially when it impacts my relationships with others) but it's so easy to be emotional about things!

CrimsonShadow: I do! Hehe, yay indeed! :D

Thanks guys!!

I took a stab at Task One. I'll try Task Two if I got it wrong. xD