Psychologyspeaking topic
Egocentrism: a small child assumes you see exactly the view they see. How and when do we develop the ability to take someone else's perspective inside our own head?
— Piaget, egocentrism (the three mountains task)
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- The sunk cost fallacy: why do we keep going with something we know is over, telling ourselves 'but I've put so much into it'? How do past losses take our future decisions hostage?
- The illusion of understanding, watching a great explainer gives the feeling of knowledge without the substance, and the feeling is addictive.
- A single smell can teleport you years back, into a kitchen you thought you'd forgotten, with a force no photograph or song can match. Why is smell wired to memory so much more deeply than the other senses?
- Seligman later developed 'learned optimism': if helplessness can be learned, hope can be taught. Does changing a person's explanatory style really make them more resilient?
- The mere exposure effect: why do we start liking a song or a face more the more often we encounter it? How does familiarity turn into fondness?