Looking to overcome the human propensity to be dumb (read: overconfident)? Remember this simple, actionable rule of thumb from the star psychologist.
Read the article and answer the questions below:
- What does the author mean by the statement “A Fiat cannot magically turn into a Ferrari”?
- According to the author, what is the root cause of “dumbness” or making poor decisions?
- Why does the author suggest that being intellectually gifted can make one more vulnerable to arrogance?
- What is the “10 percent principle” proposed by Adam Grant, and how does the author suggest applying it?
- How does the author propose using the “10 percent principle” to challenge one’s own views and those of others?
- What is the overall message the author conveys about the relationship between humility and intelligence?
Glossary
- propensity – a natural desire or need that makes you tend to behave in a particular way
- actionable – able to be used as a reason for doing something
- to ensue – to happens immediately after another event, usually as a result of it
- outrage – a deep insult or offense
- to induce – to cause
- kernel – the central, most important part of an idea or a subject
- to sing somebody’s praises – to praise somebody very highly
- to bask in someone’s approval, favour, or admiration – to greatly enjoy someone’s positive reaction towards you
- fix – a solution to a problem
Practice makes perfect
Fill in the gaps in the article extract with the words in bold below:
think (sth) through gathering hasty weightier avoid
jump exhaustively hardly sparsest gut
How much time do you spend doing research before you make a big decision? The answer for many of us, it turns out, is 1. ………. any. (…)
We are not necessarily conserving our mental resources to spend them on even 2. ………… (=more serious) decisions. One in five Americans spends more time planning their upcoming vacation than they do on their financial future. There are people who go over every detail 3. …………… before making a choice, and it is certainly possible to overthink things. But a fair number of individuals are quick to 4. …….. to conclusions. Psychologists call this way of thinking a cognitive bias, a tendency toward a specific mental mistake. In this case, the error is making a call based on the 5. ………… (=very little) of evidence.
In our own research, we have found that 6. …………… judgments are often just one part of larger error-prone patterns in behavior and thinking. These patterns have costs. People who tend to make such jumps in their reasoning often choose a bet in which they have low chances of winning instead of one where their chances are much better. (…)
In everyday life, the question of whether we should 7. ………things …………. or instead go with our 8. …….. is a frequent and important one. Recent studies show that even 9. ……….. just a little bit more evidence may help us 10. ………. a major mistake. Sometimes the most important decision we make can be to take some more time before making a choice.
In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-who-jump-to-conclusions-show-other-kinds-of-thinking-errors/
Key: 1. hardly; 2. weightier; 3. exhaustively; 4.jump; 5. sparsest; 6. hasty; 7. think (things) through; 8. gut; 9. gathering; 10. avoid
Fill in the sentence gaps with the words in bold below:
ensue outrage gut sparsely bask hasty
1. This area is very ………….. settled because there isn’t much water.
2. Many people have been …………ed by some of the things that have been said.
3. Don’t do anything ………… or you’ll regret it.
4. I have a ………. feeling that this relationship won’t last.
5. Timothy smiled and ………….ed in Rachel’s approval.
6. A period of civil war ………….ed for the next five years.
Key: 1. sparsely; 2. outraged; 3. hasty; 4. gut; 5. basked; 6. ensued
Watch and revise!
Unlocking Smarter Decisions:
The 10% Rule
https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/TKH5ndpBZxBBBjQ
(5763)
