Theory of Mind

Much like sonder, theory of mind is the idea that other's also have a mind, and that we can be aware of others' perspective, beliefs and desires. It says that the mind is the only thing being directly observed, and that we can see our own mind through introspection.

• explains why we physiologically synchronize with others around us
  • in video games, heart rates/breathing can synchronize with teammates
• human's tend to visualize others' perspective by physiologically synchronizing with them to gain more empathy
• overall, theory of mind is a phenomenon that people use to have empathy for others, and is important for social skills

Occam's Razor

Problem solving principle that typically the simplest solution is the right one; the solution that makes the least assumptions.

• simple theories are more testable and can be more easily proven false
• each assumption has a probability of being wrong, and composing these together makes complex solutions more likely to fail or be incorrect

Cognitive Bias

Fundamental Attribution Error

Tendency to over-emphasize personality to explain behavior, over systematic influence

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to search for information that reinforces one's own beliefs

Self-serving Bias

Tendency to attribute success to themselves and failures to others

Belief Bias

Tendency to follow one's own belief in the truthiness of an argument when evaluating the logical strength of someone else's argument

Hindsight Bias

Tendency to view past events as predictable