Discussion
In the conclusion of his book, Hallinan gives some advice on how the readers can apply the ideas presented in his book to their lives. Some of the things he recommends we keep in mind are:
1. Think small
2. Calibration can be taught
3. Creating a written record helps a person fend off the rose-colored-glasses of hindsight bias
4. In some cases it will be important to look for and even expect failure
5. Don’t be set in your ways
6. Slow down
7. Be aware of the anecdote (he references NutriSystem here)
8. Get plenty of sleep
9. Be happy
Hallinan concludes by discussing how money does not eliminate mistakes and is not the currency of life.
I have to say that I enjoyed this book. It was a good change from reading the other Norman books. In particular, I like how the author illustrates all his claims with interesting examples. I especially liked the Conclusion, because Hallinan does a great job of summarizing his ideas.I personally think this book will be beneficial in helping us better understand mistakes we make in our respective fields.
Showing posts with label Why We Make Mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Why We Make Mistakes. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Book Reading #50: Why We Make Mistakes
Chapter 12Summary
In chapter 12, Hallinan discusses constraints and affordances. He defines constraints as “simple mental aids that keep us on the right track by limiting our alternatives.” He defines affordances as “clues to how a thing can be used.”
He discusses the technique by which different organizations name things and gives two examples: prescription drug names and identifiers that pilots use.
Chapter 13
Summary
In chapter 13 Hallinan begins with an example of two people who moved to L.A. and then ended up moving back to Wisconsin. He uses this example to show how people mispredict how they will feel about important life decisions in the future because they focus on relatively minor factors.
In chapter 12, Hallinan discusses constraints and affordances. He defines constraints as “simple mental aids that keep us on the right track by limiting our alternatives.” He defines affordances as “clues to how a thing can be used.”
He discusses the technique by which different organizations name things and gives two examples: prescription drug names and identifiers that pilots use.
Chapter 13
Summary
In chapter 13 Hallinan begins with an example of two people who moved to L.A. and then ended up moving back to Wisconsin. He uses this example to show how people mispredict how they will feel about important life decisions in the future because they focus on relatively minor factors.
Book Reading #49: Why We Make Mistakes
Chapter 10Summary
Chapter 10 focuses on how people tend to believe they are above average. Hallinan sites many examples of this: golfing, and credit card rates. Hallinan then discusses calibration, the difference between a person’s actual and perceived abilities. He discusses that calibration tends to be poor, but weather forecasts are well calibrated. The power of feedback is also discussed.
Hallinan also notes that as a task gets harder, people tend to be even more overconfident.
Chapter11
Summary
In chapter 11, Hallinan discusses how even professionals have difficulty in knowing how good or bad they are at something. He also discusses how experts become experts by practicing, starting at a young age and creating a library of specialized knowledge within the mind.
Chapter 10 focuses on how people tend to believe they are above average. Hallinan sites many examples of this: golfing, and credit card rates. Hallinan then discusses calibration, the difference between a person’s actual and perceived abilities. He discusses that calibration tends to be poor, but weather forecasts are well calibrated. The power of feedback is also discussed.
Hallinan also notes that as a task gets harder, people tend to be even more overconfident.
Chapter11
Summary
In chapter 11, Hallinan discusses how even professionals have difficulty in knowing how good or bad they are at something. He also discusses how experts become experts by practicing, starting at a young age and creating a library of specialized knowledge within the mind.
Book Reading #47: Why We Make Mistakes
Chapter 8Summary
Chapter 8 focuses on a person’s desire to keep things organized in memory. Hallinan begins with several examples to demonstrate this: people drawing the Seine River straighter than it actually is and stating where Reno, Nevada is in relation to San Diego.
Hallinan also explains that who the person is will affect how he or she remembers things.
Chapter 9
Summary
Chapter 9 discusses the relationship between overconfidence and perceived risk. The author also discusses how women seem to have less confidence than men in several areas. Examples he gives includes getting lost while driving, selling back lottery tickets and fixing bugs in a spreadsheet.
Chapter 8 focuses on a person’s desire to keep things organized in memory. Hallinan begins with several examples to demonstrate this: people drawing the Seine River straighter than it actually is and stating where Reno, Nevada is in relation to San Diego.
Hallinan also explains that who the person is will affect how he or she remembers things.
Chapter 9
Summary
Chapter 9 discusses the relationship between overconfidence and perceived risk. The author also discusses how women seem to have less confidence than men in several areas. Examples he gives includes getting lost while driving, selling back lottery tickets and fixing bugs in a spreadsheet.
Book Reading #46: Why We Make Mistakes
Chapter 6Summary
In chapter 6, Hallinan discusses framing. Framing is how we look at things. He uses, noticeably the example of a certain wine depending on the music being played. Hallinan also writes about multiple-unit pricing and the impact it has on shoppers. In seeing the tag, “4 for $2,” the number, 4, acts as an anchor that makes the shopper more likely to buy four of the item rather than just one or two.
Chapter 7
Summary
In chapter 7 Hallinan begins by showing us some examples of how we skim material and how this ability to skim comes with a trade-off: details are overlooked.
Hallinan also discusses the importance of the context we are in when recognizing and remembering information.
In chapter 6, Hallinan discusses framing. Framing is how we look at things. He uses, noticeably the example of a certain wine depending on the music being played. Hallinan also writes about multiple-unit pricing and the impact it has on shoppers. In seeing the tag, “4 for $2,” the number, 4, acts as an anchor that makes the shopper more likely to buy four of the item rather than just one or two.
Chapter 7
Summary
In chapter 7 Hallinan begins by showing us some examples of how we skim material and how this ability to skim comes with a trade-off: details are overlooked.
Hallinan also discusses the importance of the context we are in when recognizing and remembering information.
Book Reading #44: Why We Make Mistakes
Chapter 4Summary
Chapter 4 discusses remembering actions with rose-colored glasses. When remembering things that we do and say, we tend to make ourselves sound better than we actually are. Hallinan presents several examples: students remembering their grades as being better than they were and remembering good grades more than the bad grades, the Watergate scandal and how John Dean remembered the events entirely differently than how they really happened. He also gives the example of how gamblers remember their losses as near-wins rather than defeats .
Chapter 5
Summary
In chapter 5 Hallinan discusses the myth of multitasking. Multitasking slows us down, and can cause us to forget what we are doing and creates a need for downtime, the time it takes to refocus on a task. The author provides examples of a pilot, a bus driver and drivers in general who do other tasks (like texting, talking on the phone or fiddling with a GPS) while driving.
Chapter 4 discusses remembering actions with rose-colored glasses. When remembering things that we do and say, we tend to make ourselves sound better than we actually are. Hallinan presents several examples: students remembering their grades as being better than they were and remembering good grades more than the bad grades, the Watergate scandal and how John Dean remembered the events entirely differently than how they really happened. He also gives the example of how gamblers remember their losses as near-wins rather than defeats .
Chapter 5
Summary
In chapter 5 Hallinan discusses the myth of multitasking. Multitasking slows us down, and can cause us to forget what we are doing and creates a need for downtime, the time it takes to refocus on a task. The author provides examples of a pilot, a bus driver and drivers in general who do other tasks (like texting, talking on the phone or fiddling with a GPS) while driving.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Book Reading #41: Why We Make Mistakes
Book Author: Joseph T. Hallinanchapter 2:
This chapter delves into memory recall, how it works, techniques to enhance memory, and differences that exist amongst people. Hallinan also gives us examples to illustrate his claims. The problem of memory is illustrated with the "penny description" experiment, and "face,name matching" exercise. Hallinan also links the problem of memory to historical methods of identifying criminals.
One thing we are introduced to is the tip-of-the-tongue slip where a person replaces one thing with another. He gives the example of crossing Albert Einstein and Joe Thiesman.
chapter 3:
This chapter deals about the process upon which people connect the dots given a situation.Many times we forget things because a link has been broken that messes up what we thought we knew.
One interesting thing that is mentioned is about being flexible, and willing to change one's mind. Instead of having a decisive, and resolved attitude, Hallinan explains that doing the opposite can be beneficial as in the case of multiple choice tests where students typically do better if they reconsider their answers. In the heat of the moment, there may be a process that leads us to choose the wrong answer.
Finnally, we learn about the effectiveness of advertising in influencing people. For example, a photo can contribute to the victory or loss of a political pundit, and the reason is that people make connections based on minute details.
Book Reading #38: Why We Make Mistakes
Book Author: Joseph T. Hallinanchapter 0:
Reading this chapter reminded me of Donald Norman's chapter 5 in Design of Everyday Things that listed the different types of errors we make. In this case, we have more of a general overview of types of errors people usually make. This introductory chapter essentially confirms what Donald Norman told us about mistakes: To err is human. There are a lot of types of mistakes we make everyday. Some where we are aware, and some where we are unaware. Some are simple mistakes, and some have potentially serious consequences.
Hallinan, though, gives us new examples from the ones given by Norman, and gives us different methods we can use to enhance mistakes linked to memory recall. Being in the same environment in which we memorized something, increases the chances of recalling things.
chapter 1:
This chapter details more kinds of mistakes as well as explains how they occur. These types of mistakes are then backed up by examples. One case in particular, which I had learned about through D. Norman's book, is the one where a group of students were asked to identify the parts of a penny, and their details. Most students were unable to recall the characteristics of the penny. In Norman's book, the explanation for these observations was that this was linked to the way we remember things. For example, when I think of a penny, I may only recall the color, size, and which president is on the coin. This isn't a problem because this is enough for me to know the function, and worth of this penny. I don't need to know the date on the penny, or anything else to use the penny.
Next, Hallinan talks about how medical lab workers and people who work x-ray security at the airport commonly miss things.
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