The following interview was conducted with Kevin
Akers, co-designer of the App- Fallacies
and Biases. The App is a quick reference and memorization tool that
includes over 100 logical fallacies and 100 cognitive biases. All information
in the app is in the public domain and the vast majority is taken from
Wikipedia. The fallacies section is divided into formal and informal fallacies,
while the biases section is subdivided into 3 categories. All of the terms can
also be viewed in randomized flash cards and multiple choice quiz format to aid
in memorization.
Can
you give readers a concise definition of cognitive bias? Why is it important to
identify and understand cognitive biases?
Cognitive biases are patterns of behavior that lead
to poor judgement and/or errors in rationality. Being aware of cognitive
biases should help you avoid common errors in thinking.
Why
did your company decide to design an app. investigating fallacies and cognitive
biases?
The app has two purposes - quick reference and
memorization. It seems to be more and more common for public speakers and
discussion forum members to call out opposing arguments using fallacy or bias
terms. Saying that your debate opponent’s argument is an appeal to
authority or a straw man can be an effective way of winning a discussion - but
how often are these fallacy terms used incorrectly? Not to mention that
believing an argument is strong simply because the speaker is claiming the
opposing argument is a fallacy is in itself a fallacy. The app provides
buyers with a way to quickly find the definitions for the different fallacies
and with tools to memorize them if they would like to do so.
What
are a couple of the most prevalent cognitive biases?
One of the most common cognitive biases is
confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, focus
on, and remember information that confirms beliefs that you already have.
In other words, you decide something is true and this search for evidence
to back up your belief while disregarding evidence that conflicts with your
belief. Another common cognitive bias is the availability heuristic.
This is a mental shortcut when the thinker overestimates the likelihood
of an event based on recent events or emotionally charged events. For
example, if you remember a news story about a shark attack, you may think that
you are likely to be killed by a shark in the ocean when such an event is actually
extremely rare.
Any
other sources your recommend readers can refer to in an effort to learn more
about cognitive biases?
The app uses information mostly taken from Wikipedia
lists, but one of the first books I read on this subject was Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel
Kahneman. I highly recommend this book and certainly many of the terms in
the app are from his work or research associated with his work.
What
are some key takeaways from the app?
This app can help users memorize terms that are
associated with errors in thinking and will hopefully lead the user to look up
more information about rational thinking. When you learn a few of the
more common biases/fallacies you will start to hear and see them everywhere.
Here is a link to the app on the App
Store (for iPhone and iPad): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fallacies-and-biases/id789879436?mt=8
Here is a link to Google Play (for
Android Phones and Tablets): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.polemics.fallaciesandbiases
My commentary:
Thanks to Kevin Akers for the interview and for
developing a useful App that can be used for quick reference. In addition to
the work of Kahneman I recommend reading the works of Stanovich, Baron and
Gilovich.
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