Most people don't like hearing it, but what if "no" can be helpful?

This week we're looking at a rather simple puzzle. If you've already taken our Behavioral Economics Certification Course, you might be familiar with this one: all you have to do is look at a series of numbers and try to guess the rule those numbers follow. You can enter your own sequence of three numbers to check if they follow rule as many times as you like. What will be your strategy? Can you avoid one of the most common cognitive biases that impacts our decision-making?

Questions:

• What is confirmation bias? How can it negatively impact your decision making?
• Can you think of any examples when you've been a victim of confirmation bias?
• Why do you think people tend to seek out information that confirms their own beliefs?
• What are some strategies you can think of to overcome confirmation bias and make more objective decisions?

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Haven't taken that behavioral economics certification course yet? Sign up for the next cohort!

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Looking for more interactive resources? Be sure to check out the NGPF Interactive Library. 

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.