When Intuition Fails: Why We’re Often Wrong When We Think We’re Right

Modern life is complex, and to navigate this complexity and make reasonable decisions, we tend to rely on intuition. For most decisions, we just “know” what the right choice is, usually without even thinking about it. But psychological research has shown repeatedly that we miss a lot of crucial information – information that would make a big difference if we had it and knew how to use it. This seminar will review the ways our intuitions deceive us, focusing on how we trust our perception, memory, and confidence much more than we should. It will then discuss about ways we can overcome these faults and see what we are missing.

The talk will weave familiar news stories (Donald Trump, Anthony Weiner, Bernie Madoff) with less familiar characters (Boston police officer Kenny Conley, the Driscoll Middle School football team) and entertaining research studies by Professor Chabris and other cognitive and social psychologists. Students will leave with a better appreciation of how and why we miss so much that is important, and some ways to think about what they are missing in their own decision-making processes.











When: Sat., Sep. 24, 2016 at 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Where: New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 W. 64th St.
212-874-5210
Price: $79
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Modern life is complex, and to navigate this complexity and make reasonable decisions, we tend to rely on intuition. For most decisions, we just “know” what the right choice is, usually without even thinking about it. But psychological research has shown repeatedly that we miss a lot of crucial information – information that would make a big difference if we had it and knew how to use it. This seminar will review the ways our intuitions deceive us, focusing on how we trust our perception, memory, and confidence much more than we should. It will then discuss about ways we can overcome these faults and see what we are missing.

The talk will weave familiar news stories (Donald Trump, Anthony Weiner, Bernie Madoff) with less familiar characters (Boston police officer Kenny Conley, the Driscoll Middle School football team) and entertaining research studies by Professor Chabris and other cognitive and social psychologists. Students will leave with a better appreciation of how and why we miss so much that is important, and some ways to think about what they are missing in their own decision-making processes.

Buy tickets/get more info now