In this video I describe some of the concepts of positive psychology and its emphasis on thriving, growth, and well-being. I discuss optimism, upward and downward comparison, gratitude, and the adaptation level phenomenon or hedonic treadmill, as well as how … Read More
Benefits of Heuristics
In this video I end the unit on cognition with the reminder that heuristics are not just about making errors in decision-making. Most of the time heuristics work well and they serve as useful tools for making sense of the … Read More
The Framing Effect
In this video I introduce Tversky and Kahneman’s work on the framing effect and how consideration of benefits or losses can influence the choices that people make and their willingness to take risks. I consider a few everyday examples of … Read More
The Availability Heuristic
In this video I provide an introduction to behavioral economics and the work of Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman by describing a heuristic we use when attempting to assess the frequency of events. The availability heuristic is a shortcut that … Read More
Approach and Avoidance Motivations
Another way of categorizing motivations is to consider them as either approach motivations or avoidance motivations. An approach motivation is a drive to experience a positive outcome, while an avoidance motivation is a drive to not experience a negative outcome. The … Read More
What is the Availability Heuristic?
In their first study of the availability heuristic, Tversky and Kahneman asked participants to estimate whether English had more words that started with the letter K or more words that had K as the third letter. What do you think? … Read More
Language, Thought, & Cognition Resources
On this page you’ll find a number of resources for understanding the key concepts of linguistics, cognition, and thought, including language acquisition, problem-solving, and decision-making. If I’ve missed a good resource, please share it in the comments section! General Resources … Read More
Norm Macdonald on the Availability Heuristic
Though he doesn’t refer to it by name, comedian Norm Macdonald gives us a great example of the availability heuristic midway through this clip from Me Doing Standup. He describes how we worry about things that will almost assuredly never happen … Read More