Lazing Thinky

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Lazing Thinky
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Demonstration

• Write all the letters of the alphabet.

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Routine Thinking Verification

• Write all the letters of the alphabet.
• z y x w v u t s r q p o n m l k j i h g f e d c
  b a

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Demonstration

• You hear gunshots on your block. Later, you
  learn there was a murder down the street from
  your house. A man is dead.
• Who did this?

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Short-cuts to Causality

• You hear gunshots on your block. Later, you
  learn there was a murder down the street from
  your house. A man is dead.
• Did you say drug dealers or gangs?

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(No Transcript)
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Demonstration

• Rate each statement on a scale of 1 (completely
  disagree) to 10 (completely agree).
• Each person in the US should be treated equally
  under the law.
• Elderly persons should have seats reserved for
  them on public transportation.
• To remedy disadvantages, some minorities should
  be given preference in hiring.
• Gay and lesbian partners should receive the same
  government protections and benefits that
  heterosexual partners receive.
• Kids under 15 who commit crimes should be
  punished the same as adults.

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Categorical Thinking Philosophical Inconsistency

• Rate each statement on a scale of 1 (completely
  agree) to 10 (completely disagree).
• Each person in the US should be treated equally
  under the law.
• Elderly persons should have seats reserved for
  them on public transportation.
• To remedy disadvantages, some minorities should
  be given preference in hiring.
• Gay and lesbian partners should receive the same
  government protections and benefits that
  heterosexual partners receive.
• Kids under 15 who commit crimes should be
  punished the same as adults.

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Demonstration

• One day you learn that your neighbor is a
  convicted sex offender. The next day you read in
  the newspaper that your neighbor won an award for
  service to children.
• How do you feel about the neighbors service? Do
  you congratulate your neighbor?

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Change New Information to Fit Pre-set Categories

• One day you learn that your neighbor is a
  convicted sex offender. The next day you read in
  the newspaper that your neighbor won an award for
  service to children.
• How do you feel about the neighbors service?
  Do you congratulate your neighbor?

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Demonstration

• Yes or No?
• Since family and friends often distract students
  from studying, it would be best to discourage
  students from seeing these people.
• I have remained in a dating relationship even
  though I felt stuck or felt like I was no longer
  in love.
• Generally speaking, Northern Californians are
  more likeable than Southern Californians.

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Need to Belong In-group/Out-group

• Yes or No?
• Since family and friends often distract students
  from studying, it would be best to discourage
  students from seeing these people.
• I have remained in a dating relationship even
  though I felt stuck or felt like I was no longer
  in love.
• Generally speaking, Northern Californians are
  more likeable than Southern Californians.

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Demonstration

• What colors are your nearest neighbors front
  doors?
• What is the background color on social sciences
  bulletin board across from this room?
• Who is Dr. Lees cell phone provider?

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Bad Memories

• What colors are your nearest neighbors front
  doors?
• What is the background color on social sciences
  bulletin board across from this room?
• Who is Dr. Lees cell phone provider?

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Demonstration

• On the next slide, there will be three images.
  Describe what you see.

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Demonstration
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(No Transcript)
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Salient Stimuli
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Demonstration

• Which statement in each set is more
  understandable?
• Mission Accomplished
• vs.
• Major combat operations are now over
• That guy changes his views when new facts come
  along
  vs.
• That guy is wishy-washy
• a. The killer should suffer like the victim
  vs.
• b. The killer should be taught empathy for
  persons he hurt

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Emotions Control Thinking

• Which statement in each set is more
  understandable?
• That child cries all the time.
• vs.
• That childs clinical depression manifests itself
  daily.
• That guy changes his views when new facts come
  along
  vs.
• That guy is wishy-washy
• a. The killer should suffer like the victim
  vs.
• b. The killer should be taught empathy for
  persons he hurt

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Demonstration

• Will your grade in this class be in the top 1/3,
  second 1/3, or bottom 1/3?
• Are you generally more happy than the average
  person?
• Are your friends generally more or less
  attractive than the average person?

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Obsessed with Self, Self-bias, In-group Bias

• Will your grade in this class be in the top 1/3,
  second 1/3, or bottom 1/3?
• Are you generally more happy than the average
  person?
• Are your friends generally more or less
  attractive than the average person?

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Lazy Thinking

• People, even scientists, are Lazy Thinkers.
• One goal of education is to undo obstacles to
  rational thinking.
• Human thinking is boxed in by these cognitive
  restrictions
• Routine thinking, verification
• Short-cuts to causality
• Categorical Thinking, philosophical inconsistency
• Change new information to fit pre-set categories
• People must belong to others, in-group/out-group
• Bad Memories
• Salient Stimuli
• Emotions control thinking
• Obsessed with self/self bias/in-group bias

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Lazy Thinking

• Can you read this?   Olny srmat poelpe
  can.I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
  uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal
  pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a
  rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
  mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are,
  the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and
  lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can
  be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
  a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
  not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as
  a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
  slpeling was ipmorantt!

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Common Problems with Researchers

• Overgeneralization concluding that what is true
  for some cases is true for all cases
• Selective Observation looking only at things
  that are consistent with our preferences or
  beliefs or that catch our attention
• Illogical Reasoning jumping to conclusions or
  arguing on the basis of invalid assumptions
• Resistance to Change reluctance to change ideas
  in light of new information

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Weird Things Problems with Thinking

• Theory influences observation
• The observer changes the observed
• Equipment constructs results
• Anecdotes do not make a science
• Scientific language does not make a science
• Bold statements do not make claims true
• Heresy does not equal correctness
• Burden of Proof
• Rumors do not equal reality
• Unexplained is not inexplicable

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Weird Things Problems with Thinking

• Failures are rationalized
• After-the-fact reasoning
• CoincidenceOdds of co-occurring events are often
  high, we pay attention only to salient events
• Representativenesswhat are the underlying
  factors that might explain events?
• Emotive words and false analogies
• Ad Ignorantiam
• Ad Hominem and Tu Quoque
• Hasty Generalization
• Overreliance on Authorities
• Either-Or

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Weird Things Problems with Thinking

• Circular Reasoning
• Slippery Slope
• Effort Inadequacies and the Need for Certainty,
  Control, and Simplicitywe need security and are
  lazy thinkers
• Problem-Solving Inadequacieswe are not rational
  and seem to need causes
• Ideological Immunity

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Discover (not assume) Causal Relationships
• Independent Variable
• A thing that when it changes causes another to
  change.
• Dependent Variable
• A thing that changes in response to changes in
  another thing.
• X Y
• Independent Dependent
• Variable Variable
• (Our research topic,
• what we try to explain)

Y
X
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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Discover (not assume) Causal Relationships
• One thing causes another when there is
• a) Associationwhen changes in things occur in
  tandem
• b) Time Orderfor change in one thing to cause
  change in
• another, the change in the first
  must occur prior to the change
• in the other
• c) Nonspuriousnessassociated changes in two
  things is not
• coincidental or caused by changes in a
  third thing
• d) Mechanisma plausible reason that changes
  in one thing
• should cause changes in the other
• e) Contextspecification of conditions that
  permit or favor the
• causal relationship

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• c) Nonspuriousnessassociated changes in two
  things is not
• coincidental or caused by changes in a
  third thing
• A spurious relationship is one where a third
  (extraneous) variable causes two others to change
  in tandem, making it look like they are related
  in a particular way.

Education
Crime
Z
-
Y
Education
Crime


X
Size of City
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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Test Ideas Against Empirical Reality
• You are a sociologist, meaning that you attempt
  to explain what actually occurs in the social
  worldnot what ought to occur or what The
  Divine intended to occur. Test hypotheses with
  data.
• Plan and Carry Out Investigations Systematically
• (marked by thoroughness and regularity)
• Use good methods and statistics. Avoid salient
  cases and anecdotal information.
• Do not Become Personally Invested in Your Results
• Your beliefs and emotions may pick topics of
  interest, but science demands dispassionate
  analysis.

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking
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Sociologists Overcome Lazy ThinkingTen ways
that you and other sociologists can overcome
Lazy Thinking

• Document all Procedures and Disclose them
  Publicly
• a. You will be more honest when you disclose to
  others
• b. The community of scholars may evaluate and
  assess your claims
• Clarify Your Assumptions for Your Audience
• The world is big and complex, a study is small
  and simple,
• so we must make assumptions (that are informed
  by sociological knowledge) to start and/or make
  sense of a project.
• E.g., Persons with low income in my study are
  poor.
• E.g., After finding that spanking increases
  juvenile delinquency
• Assumption Kids interpret violence as
  appropriate
• Rather than Rationally see violence as
  effective
• Specify the Meanings of Your Terms
• a. Broad concepts must be operationalized in
  research Abused Kids becomes Persons
  under 15 who were hit or slapped with enough
  force to leave a mark after an hour.
• b. Explicit definitions help give the scope and
  generalizability of the research
• c. BUT, Research articles become dry and
  boring, unlike what humans prefer to encounter

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Maintain a Skeptical Stance Toward Current
  Knowledge
• a. Research is often limited by errors,
  funding, scope,
• bias

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking
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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking
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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Maintain a Skeptical Stance Toward Current
  Knowledge
• a. Research is often limited by errors,
  funding, scope,
• bias
• b. Phenomena under study may have changed
• For example George Wallace was a Democrat
• I say segregation now, segregation
  tomorrow, segregation forever.
• Richard Nixon was a Republican
• Scrubbing floors and emptying bedpans has
  as much dignity as the Presidency.
• c. There are multiple possible causes for
  phenomena
• For example One study may find that lower IQ
  leads to poverty, what else might?

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Maintain a Skeptical Stance Toward Current
  Knowledge
• d. No single project is enough
• All research is limited, the world is too big
  to be captured in one project
• This takes some burden off the researcheryou
  cannot do it all
• Avoid slamming reports that do not study
  everything
• e. Recognize your own Limitations

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Respect the Community of Scholars
• No individual can do it all, so sociological
  knowledge resides in a community and its
  repositories of research
• Burden of Proof?

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Sociologists Overcome Lazy Thinking

• Ten ways that you and other sociologists can
  overcome Lazy Thinking
• Relate Your Findings to Previous Research and
  Theories
• Your research must begin where the community of
  scholars left off. Everything must be grounded
  in what has gone before--So use others findings
  and theory!
• You should work to see if others findings hold
  up. Sociology has replication built into almost
  every projectred flag unexpected findings.
• Help others avoid lazy thinking--educate them
  on how your research may support or contradict
  the prevailing scholarly views of the social
  world.