Being Wrong Less

Question 1

Oakham’s razor

Answer 1

Simplest explanation is most likely to be true. Trim down the list of assumptions to the most important ones

Question 2

MVP Minimum viable product

Answer 2

Just enough features that can be tested by real people

Question 3

Premature optimization

Answer 3

Doing too much work before testing exemptions in the real world

Question 4

De-Risking

Answer 4

Testing your assumptions in the real world

Question 5

Arguing from the first principles

Answer 5

Starting from the most basic building blocks which you know to be true and then build conclusions on top of them

Question 6

Anti-fragile

Answer 6

Getting better with shocks

Question 7

Unforced error

Answer 7

Errors caused by poor execution or bad judgment. Build techniques to make the best decision with the information available

Question 8

Inverse thinking

Answer 8

Invert the question that you have been asking and see what Insight it provides

Question 9

Conjunction fallacy

Answer 9

The probability of two events in conjunction is always less than or equal to the probability of either one of the events occurring alone. There is a tendency to think something specific is more probable than something general

Question 10

Overfitting

Answer 10

The tendency to explain some thing with too many assumptions

Question 11

Frame of reference

Answer 11

Your perspective

Question 12

Framing

Answer 12

The way you present the situation or explanation

Question 13

Nudging

Answer 13

Nudge in a direction by subtle what choice or environmental cues

Question 14

Anchoring

Answer 14

Rely too heavily on first impressions when making decisions

Question 15

Availability bias

Answer 15

Bias created by making information that is recently made available to you. Coverage of topics makes people think that it occurs more often than it does.

Question 16

Filter bubble

Answer 16

Being attracted to information that you are already familiar with or agree with.

Question 17

Echo chambers

Answer 17

A side effect of filter bubbles where the same ideas seems to bounce around the same groups of people. Causes people to over estimate the number of people who hold the same opinion.

Question 18

Third story

Answer 18

The story that third impartial observer may recount

Question 19

Most respectful interpretation

Answer 19

Interpret the other parties actions in the most respectful way possible. it’s giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Question 20

Hanlon’s razor

Answer 20

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by carelessness.

Question 21

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 21

Make errors by attributing others behaviors to their internal, our fundamental, motivations rather than external factors.

Question 22

Self-serving bias or actor observer bias

Answer 22

Viewing your own behavior as because of circumstances and not internal motivations. The opposite of fundamental attribution error when it comes to yourself.

Question 23

Veil of ignorance

Answer 23

To empathize with other people imagine yourself ignorant of your current position or place

Question 24

Birth lottery

Answer 24

Not born in any type of disadvantaged group

Question 25

Just world hypothesis

Answer 25

Believe that the world is completely fair, orderly and predictable. That people get the results they deserve based on their actions.

Question 26

Victim blame

Answer 26

And effect of the just world hypothesis where the victim gets blamed for something that happened to them without accounting for any luck or random

Question 27

Learned helplessness

Answer 27

Not trying to get out of their current situations because they have gotten used to the difficult situation.

Question 28

Paradigm shift

Answer 28

Acceptance to a new theory or explanation after thinking about it in a different way for a very long time

Question 29

Semmelweis reflex

Answer 29

Tendency to reject new ideas because they do not align with current conventional thinking. Semmelweis is the doctor who suggested that not washing hands after handling cadavers could be the reason for higher death of patience.

Question 30

Confirmation bias

Answer 30

The tendency to consume new information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs

Question 31

Backfire effect

Answer 31

Holding onto a position in spite of evidence contradicting it. It often backfires trying to change peoples opinion by presenting facts and figures

Question 32

Disconfirmation bias

Answer 32

Imposing a stronger burden of proof on ideas that you don’t want to believe

Question 33

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 33

The stress felt by holding two contradictory believes at the same time

Question 34

Thinking gray

Answer 34

Truth is neither black nor white, it is a shade of gray. To avoid confirmation bias wait until you have heard all relevant facts and arguments before making a decision.

Question 35

Devils advocate

Answer 35

Taking the opposite side of an argument even though you don’t agree with it.

Question 36

Proximate cause

Answer 36

The immediate cause that made some thing happen

Question 37

Root cause

Answer 37

The real reason something happened

Question 38

Postmortem

Answer 38

Examination of a prior situation to determine how something happened and how it could go better the next time

Question 39

5 whys 

Answer 39

Repeatedly asked the question ‘why did it happen’ to get to the root cause.

Question 40

Optimistic probability bias

Answer 40

Sometimes you want something to be true so badly that you fool yourself into believing that it is likely to be true.