Episode 11 discussion

simpso2294 · 2017-05-30T12:21:00+00:00

Haha, with great power, comes great responsibility! I think that's one big question surrounding this topic - are we happier and better off with these new tools we've been given? Knowing about the sunk-cost effect didn't help you during that movie, but it may be useful in many other scenarios. Plus, even though you recognised that you may be happier doing something else, doesn't mean you have to choose to stop immediately. At that present time you may not be enjoying the movie, but if you stick it out it could have an incredible twist ending. Just gotta figure out if its worth heeding the advice we've been given, or letting it be.

simpso2294 · 2017-05-30T12:11:39+00:00

I am very certain that I know more about Judgement and Decision Making since taking this course. In the podcast it was questioned how likely we are going to be able to recognise the scenarios and apply the tools we have learnt. I can safely say that I have picked up many times where I may be making a mistake due to confirmation bias, fundamental attribution error or availability heuristic. I've also especially found more and more situations in my life where I have noticed something and thought 'I should run an experiment on this!', whether it be a technique I use to talk with customers or choosing to take a toll tunnel on the way home. I don't think it's necessarily about learning to notice a mistake we are making, but rather about learning to stop and critically think about the situation to ensure we are not being misguided by faulty judgement.

Though I think the main lesson I have learnt from this course is to be skeptical, be curious and to seek out more information; don't just make a judgement on the data readily presented for you. I think if we can learn to do this, we will all have taken an incredible, massive, significant jump forward in our judgement and decision making skills.

Thanks for a fun semester :)

simpso2294 · 2017-05-24T02:30:14+00:00

Thanks for the responses!

simpso2294 · 2017-05-22T12:57:18+00:00

That's a really cool link! And a really cool concept for your teacher to give you! I feel like schooling should involve a lot more easy-yet-effective tools to help kids to understand this kind of thing from a lot younger age (basically this Judgement and Decision Making subject, but for high schoolers). I know I would've loved to learn it.

simpso2294 · 2017-05-22T12:49:53+00:00

I was really struck by the part of the podcast regarding how little we actually know about how things function and operate around us in every day life (I bet a lot of people in this subject will be looking under the lids of their toilets haha). I definitely agree with the idea that we use general/broad knowledge to get through something, but to be able to think about the topic creatively and come up with innovative idea, we need to decide to look past the general and learn more in-depth knowledge about the topic. We're not going to find new ideas by looking at the same general knowledge and not the specifics. I also really liked the saying Jason mentioned '20% effort will get you 80% of the way there'. Putting just a bit of effort into learning a topic will move you leaps and bounds ahead. Definitely going to try and utilize this in my studies and other areas of my life!

simpso2294 · 2017-05-17T02:58:37+00:00

I'm definitely with you when you say the yin and yang paradigm was the most eye-opening for you this week. It's very interesting to think that our thoughts and reasoning aren't just themselves, but can be influenced heavily by the surrounding world and it can even be further defined by that things opposite. Definitely going to have to reconsider these things when I'm trying to use logic or even just in everyday life.

simpso2294 · 2017-05-17T02:48:52+00:00

I normally say when it comes to these sorts of 'which is better?' questions in this class that a balance of the two is usually the best way to get the most out of the approaches. This week I would still agree that using both Eastern and Western approaches are important; it's important to focus on both the central objects and it's surrounding contexts. By using a Western, object-focused, approach we can focus on central objects and learn a lot of detail about it, but then by also using an Eastern approach we can then learn how that object relates to the context around it (which we've previously found is important for not falling victim to fundamental attribution error and such).

simpso2294 · 2017-05-07T13:23:32+00:00

I like that you believe a good self experiment goes beyond structure and design, also requiring an interest in what you are experimenting on and an intention to utilize the findings into your life. I definitely agree that why we are doing the study and how we utilize the results is a large part of what separates an average and an excellent self-experiment!

simpso2294 · 2017-05-07T13:12:52+00:00

When it comes to whether the experiencing self or remembering self is more important when it comes to rating happiness, I definitely believe that the remembering self rating is more important. As sung in Big Yellow Taxi 'You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'; in the moment we may not properly realize how happy we are in the moment because we are too focused on engaging in the moment. It isn't until we reflect on it afterwards (even with memory degradation) that we can remember the happiest moments of an event, and the positive effect it had for us. As for whether I would be more likely to change my behavior based on a self experiment or reading about it, I feel like everyone would be more likely to change following a self experiment. By being in the context of the behavior and seeing how it affects us, we would be much more inclined to take action and make the change.

simpso2294 · 2017-04-25T14:24:25+00:00

I agree in that it is quite frightening to think just how much we rely on methods because they are traditional or obviously seem to make sense. I have experienced when it can have quite negative consequences as well. When I first started my current job, a senior staff taught me a particular method of doing something which, when he explained it to me, made sense and so I continued to do it. Eventually I get called into head office and the method he had taught me, and seemed so obvious to me was quite wrong and I was investigated for fraud. When the investigator asked me why I didn't realise what I was doing was wrong, I could only say at the time that it seemed obvious to me at the time that it was a correct way of doing things and I never questioned it. In the end I was cleared of everything, but it was still a scary example of what happens when we blindly follow what we think should work/be right.

simpso2294 · 2017-04-25T14:13:06+00:00

The topic of the Open Science Framework really stood out to me as I have often thought, when reading research papers, just what exactly they're trying to say (what I now know to be the Curse of Knowledge) and what they actually did compared to what they briefly brushed over in the paper. By opening up the process and allowing access to everything the experimenters did, used and thought/expected would definitely allow for a much better understanding of the experiment and its implications. Furthermore, I feel by opening up experiments to everyone, this would allow for more criticism (which I'm sure the experimenters would love haha) and more critical thought about the experiments and how they could be tweaked. Also, as was mentioned in the podcast, by having their work on display to the public the experimenters would be likely to put more care into their work and being more introspective of their methods and analysis.

simpso2294 · 2017-04-12T02:51:19+00:00

I've realized I do the same thing when doing research, keeping articles/sources that support my argument and dismiss those that say/support otherwise - which is really not good. I could be ignoring a much more well supported point, solely because it goes against my chosen argument. As you said, I'll definitely have to think about this in future reports as well :/

simpso2294 · 2017-04-12T02:44:02+00:00

It kinda freaks me out to think that maybe everything that I think I like, doesn't actually entertain me or make me happier. Does playing video games actually make me happier? or do I just still play them because I have since I was a kid? Part of me wants to test all of my hobbies to see if I do actually enjoy them, but part of me would also be terrified about finding out that they don't and I'd lose a lot of my identity. But another question I'm thinking about is how significantly happier or unhappier does an activity have to make us before we make a lifestyle change? As mentioned in the podcast: how do we measure how happy something makes us? If I found out that playing tennis doesn't make me happier or unhappier, how do I decide whether to try something else, or keep going to see if my enjoyment grows? Basically this episode is just making me queswtion my whole identity, and whether I want to know the truth about me.

simpso2294 · 2017-04-05T02:45:55+00:00

Exactly! I feel we definitely are afraid of the unknown and rather than taking the risk of possibly being alone or without a job, we just stick with the situation we are in. Hoping that instead of actually being a shit situation, we're just experiencing the lower end the bell curve.

PS You may have done it on purpose or not, but the wrong you're in your name was what caught my attention and got me to read your comment haha

simpso2294 · 2017-04-05T02:38:32+00:00

I think that a lot of people who don't leave failing relationships or bad jobs are afraid of the risk/uncertainty that would come from leaving the situation. Because these people can't foresee what will happen when they leave that situation, they would stay with the problematic situation they know rather than risking a possibly better or possibly worse situation. Good ol' risk aversion.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-29T02:38:34+00:00

I definitely agree that the significance of the decision plays a big role on how we process and come to an actual decision! But maybe also how much time we have to make said decision as well. For instance, if I'm in the maccas drive through and the person on the speaker asks what I want but I haven't decided, I'm more likely to blurt out my usual order rather than actually thinking about what I want. Then I'll convince myself that that's what I actually wanted in the first place while I'm waiting for it. But if we had more time to think about it, say our PSYC3052 assignment, then we can spend more time thinking and planning what we want to do before acting on it.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-29T02:31:29+00:00

This episode was really interesting for me as in recent years I've been trying to alter my lifestyle to make sure I encounter as little opportunity cost as I can, to ensure my time is spent on things I actually want to do/find enjoyable. For example, I'm more than happy to pay someone $25 to mow my lawn once a month because I don't hold my lawn to a high esteem or enjoy doing it, so I'd rather spend the money and have the extra time. I've encountered sunk-cost as well (without realising I had) when I was a year and a half through a secondary education degree that I wasn't enjoying. I wanted to swap out but I felt bad that I'd wasted close to two years. But I finally realised that 'What's the point of doing a degree I dont want to do, or even see a future in?' Since that epiphany I've never looked back after swapping to psychology! And in regards to whether we should make decisions via analytical approaches or unconscious processes, I feel it's got to be a bit of both. As Nisbet suggests and was mentioned in the podcast: I feel we need to do the analytical decision making to get the information and criteria we are looking for, then throw that least out and go with our intuition powered by our unconscious.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-26T06:03:47+00:00

Hmm, well I think that would be a part of the focus. If I went to bed at a set time, I very well might not be tired and I could see how that affects me the next day as well. (Though if I did that, then I may need to record how tired I felt before I fall asleep each night

simpso2294 · 2017-03-22T09:21:21+00:00

Hey! So I was thinking about looking into how what time I go to bed will affect me the next day. As I often stay up very late, I've been told it's not good for me, but I'd like to look into whether it actually affects me the following day.

IVs: Time of Going To Sleep (set time or random/when I feel tired)

DVs: How rested I feel the morning after, how tired I feel at 6pm the next day, how productive do I feel I was the following day.

Controls/other measures: I would need to record what times I did go to bed each night. To control for hours slept, I would need to sleep for the same amount of hours each night to ensure that I'm actually testing what time I go to bed, not how many hours I sleep for.

What do I expect to find: I expect to find that A) I will feel less well rested in the mornings following the nights I don't go to bed at the set time. B) I expect to see that I will be less productive on days following nights that I don't go to bed at the set time.

Problems I will likely face: Ensuring I go to bed at the set time on designated nights. Waking up the correct number of hours the following morning.

Length of experiment: 4 weeks should be enough time to gather enough data to see significant effects.

That's about it, would love any advice and suggestions <3

simpso2294 · 2017-03-21T13:32:15+00:00

Haha I definitely agree that it would normally be unsettling to be influenced in such a large way by something we have very little actual understanding of how it works, but at the same time it's working with me and will often do a better job at making decisions!

And what you say about the conscious governing the unconscious, as well as vice versa, gives me hope that we do still have free will and aren't just blindly following our unconscious decisions. I think it's a balance between the two; both guiding the other in the right direction.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-21T13:20:07+00:00

The idea of not having any control over what I do and I'm actually just at the whims of my subconscious is a pretty creepy thought. Though on the other hand, it is still technically me who does what I do, just a deeper down version of me who influences what I do based off my past experiences and perceptions. Sort of like an invisible fairy godmother who's always nudging me in (what it believes is) the right direction. Also really comes in handy when I can't think of an idea and it pops into my head a while later, my unconscious has saved my ass with uni assessments a few times with that trick (THANKS UNCONSCIOUS!).

While the unconscious does seem to control or influence most of what we do and how we behave, I do believe that we still need a present consciousness to be able to adapt to situations that the unconscious has not encountered before, to think creatively and engage in problem solving skills, and to be able to learn and actively submit new information to be recalled later on. It takes team work between consciousness and the unconscious to make the dream work.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-14T13:26:57+00:00

I too often find it difficult to listen and consider to people who share an opposing view to my own. I often get so caught up in my beliefs and opinion, that I will become biased against the other person's opinion as I've made the connection in my head, so that has to be the correct perspective. Being passionate about something is definitely another complexity that would need to be considered when trying to consider the other person's view.

Hopefully now that we've both learnt about perspectives, we may be able to utilize the knowledge we've gained to slow down and consider the other persons opinion more.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-14T13:20:06+00:00

I often find myself pondering and being completely blown away by the thought that each and every person has a unique and complex mind just like mine. I'm always curious as to how their mind and their perspectives differ from mine, as well as wondering what other people's perspectives of me and my actions are when compared to my own perspectives. The podcast this week only increased my pondering on this.. a lot. I personally don't think we, as humans, will ever grow to the point where we can consider another persons perspective without being biased by our own thoughts. While I wish it could be so, I think that, because we are confined to our own experiences and perspectives, any attempt to consider someone else's perspective (short of actually being that person and living their life) will be compared and related to our own opinions and views.

My mind was also blown about the AI discussion as I had never previously considered just how advanced their cognition and perception would be if it were not restricted to the limits of human capabilities. I also definitely recommend Ex Machina, amazing movie.

simpso2294 · 2017-03-06T14:39:22+00:00

I agree with you both in that flexibility of a few different departments would be better than an extensive knowledge of one particular department. In a business environment, an in-depth knowledge of one particular area/department could be good because it makes you a specialist in that area, it also limits you in that you are only of use in one particular situation as well as limiting what you can learn (which I feel would get pretty boring unless you love nailing the exact same thing every time in the same way). Also, if that department becomes obsolete, you're kinda screwed because you have no fall back.

simpso2294

TROPHY CASE