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How We Know What Isn'T So (Paperback)

by Thomas Gilovich (Author) "It is widely believed that infertile couples who adopt a child are subsequently more likely to conceive than similar couples who do not ..." (more)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (Mar 5 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0029117062
ISBN-13: 978-0029117064
Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 250 g

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #14,184 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#15 in	Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Logic & Language
#18 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Cognitive
#23 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Child Psychology > Development

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Sports fans who think that basketball players shoot in "hot streaks," and maternity nurses who maintain that more babies are born when the moon is full adhere to erroneous beliefs, according to Gilovich, associate professor of psychology at Cornell. With examples ranging from the spread of AIDS to the weight of Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, he skewers popular but mistaken assumptions. Faulty reasoning from incomplete or ambiguous data, a tendency to seek out "hypothesis-confirming evidence" and the habit of self-serving belief are among the factors Gilovich pinpoints in his sophisticated anaylsis. However, in the book's second half, his debunking of holistic medicine, ESP and paranormal phenomena is superficial and one-sided, marred by some of the very tendencies he effectively exposes in the "true believers."
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

The subtexts of this first-class critique of human (non)reason are that we all tell ourselves lies (at least some of the time)...that if you want to believe it's true, it is (faith healing, ESP)...that humans can't help seeing patterns where none exist (in clouds, in disastrous events, in gamblers' streaks). Furthermore, if you would like to learn more about how not to deceive yourself, you might take a course in one of the ``soft'' probabilistic sciences like psychology. This might be construed as self-serving, since Gilovich happens to teach psychology at Cornell. However, the point is well taken because such courses should expose students to a minimum of statistics--such as the law of regression, which says that when two variables are partially related, extremes in one variable are matched, on average, by less extreme variables in the other. (Children of tall parents are tall, but not as tall as their parents.) Gilovich attributes the general lack of appreciation of the law to ``the compelling nature of judgment by representation''--by which the predicted outcome should be as close to the data as possible: the son of a 6'5'' dad should be close to 6'5''. Gilovich also points to other pitfalls in reasoning, such as failure to record negative outcomes (how many times do you dream of an old friend and not bump into him the next day?). And he discusses deeper motives--e.g., fear of dying, prospects of power or immortality, and similar self-aggrandizing traits that fortify superstitions and the will to believe. Altogether, a satisfying splash of skepticism and reason in a world where the Lake Wobegon phenomenon--``the women are strong, the men are good-looking and all the children are above average''- -prevails. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Avoids the pitfalls of most sceptics, Jun 13 2004

By A Customer

i.e. "these people must be stupid &/or crazy to believe this nonsense". Fact is, many of our fallacies are based on strategies that work or have worked in other situations. Many scientific advances are because someone found a pattern -- that others scorned laughed at back then. (Warning: they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.) People who are most involved and best informed are just as, or more likely to be deceived. Obstetric nurses and cops believe they see more action during a full moon; not true. Coaches believe in 'hot streaks'; not true. Look at the numbers.
We humans are so good at finding patterns that we can find them when they aren't there.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hit the nail on the head, April 21 2004

By	Daniel Harper (Madison, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read a lot of books on logic, argument, and critical thinking. This is the best one I've read for explaining the psychological reasons behind faultly logic. This book is going on my list of books to read every few years so as to inoculate myself from the described fallibilities in human reasoning. I will be recommending this to everyone I know. Unfortunately, the ones who need to read it the most probably won't.

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5.0 out of 5 stars How People Don't Think, Sep 17 2003

By	Rivkah Maccaby "Rivkah Maccaby" (Bloomington, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This is a fascinating discourse on the pitfalls of human reasoning. Gilovich covers everything from the counter-intuitiveness of many facts governing probability, to the effects of absent data, to debunking often reported stories of older research, such as the case of "Little Albert," a toddler who was made to be afraid of white rats, by pairing any contact with white rats with an unpleasant stimulus.

Gilovich has personally conducted numerous research trials exploring the ways people learn and reason, and draws on this background, as well as a thorough command of other research into relevant areas. In one experiment, students were asked to guess their class rankings in regard to leadership abilities: only 2% thought they were below average, while a full 60% thought they were in the top 10%!

Gilovich has a very smooth writing style, and he is writing here for laymen. In spite of the huge amount of valuable information presented, the 215 page book is easy-going, and I think most people would finish it in a few days.

This is a book you will refer back to time and again, so buying a personal copy is a good idea.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but dense
This book relates to critical thinking, but rather than focus on the use of language (semantics) or argument structure (logic), it addresses the psychology of our thinking. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaching Critical Thinking
This is an excellent review of some basics for critical thinking that should be required college reading. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaching Critical Thinking
This is an excellent review of some basics for critical thinking that should be required college reading. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy thinking has its price
A well-written book that focuses on the common errors human beings make when trying to comprehend the world around them, and form opinions. Read more