Cognitive Bias & Climate Change | Prof. Ben Newell, PhD

Ben Newell Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales. Ben’s research focuses on the cognitive processes underlying judgment, choice and decision-making, and the application of this knowledge to environmental, medical, financial and forensic contexts. He is the lead author of Straight Choices: The Psychology of Decision Making. He is on the Editorial Boards of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Thinking & Reasoning, Decision, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making and Experimental Psychology. Timestamps _____________________ 0:00 - Teaser 1:20: What are cognitive biases and how do they impact our decision-making processes? 9:35 - Cognitive Dissonance, Decision Making 16:03 - Cognitive Bias and irrational-decision making is adaptive 23:17 - What can we do to overcome cognitive bias? 34:32 - What are the cognitive factors that might make people more or less likely to take action on climate change? 39:05 - If you were an omnipotent leader, what lessons/principles of judgment and decision-making would you download onto Homo Sapien's collective consciousness?