Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb ThingsA woman planning a dinner party calls a gourmet caterer and learns that "Chateaubriand" can be ordered. To which she responds, "No, thanks. We're going to take care of the wine ourselves." The dead silence at the end of the phone is her first clue that something is amiss. A CEO attempts to put an end to complaints from employees about the demeaning behavior of certain managers by berating the managers before the staff -- thus reinforcing the very behavior he's trying to correct. We often criticize such incidents with remarks like "How dumb!" or "What was he thinking?" But psychologist Madeleine L. Van Hecke argues that much of what we label stupidity can better be explained as blind spots. Just as the blind spot in the driver's side mirror can swallow up a passing car, patterns in the way we think can likewise become blind spots, sifting out information and observations that to other people seem obvious. Drawing on research in creativity, cognitive psychology, critical thinking, child development, education, and philosophy, Dr. Van Hecke shows how our assets as thinkers create the very blind spots that become our worst liabilities. She devotes a chapter to each of ten mental blind spots that afflict even the smartest people: not stopping to think, jumping to conclusions, my-side bias, getting trapped by categories, and much more. At the end of each chapter she offers tactics for overcoming that specific blind spot, so we can become more creative and competent thinkers. Full of funny, poignant stories about human foibles, Blind Spots offers many insights for improving our social and political lives while giving us fresh slants into the minds of people who are poles apart from ourselves. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 9 |
Fools Rush In | 35 |
Often Wrong but Never in Doubt? | 51 |
Copyright | |
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ability able abstract adults Alison Richards answer argue aware Azande behavior believe big picture blind spot BLIND SPOTS Chapter boss causes cell phones child complex consider Coyote Waits Darwin Awards Deductive Reasoning described Developmental Psychology door dumb emotional everyday evidence example experience fact fail feedback feel fluke grasp happen hard hear Howard Gardner ideas ignore Imagine intelligence INTERVIEWER John Flavell Kobe Bryant kuru label lives logical logical puzzles look mean meaningful Michael Shermer minds miss moral mother notice obvious old wave ourselves person perspective political possible problem psychologist puzzle question react realize reason response Robert Kegan simply situation solve someone sometimes sort stop and think story stupid Tactic talk teacher tell things thought tion trying understand values Voodoo Science what's worldviews wrong York