Schema is the mental structure of ideas. We use this framework to represent an understanding of the world - and to organize and assimilate new information we get.
Published on Sep 30, 2024
Looking at the problem from multiple different perspectives. Once you have different "frames" of looking at the same issue, you can choose a frame that is the most beneficial in that situation.
Published on Jan 24, 2024
We want to finish a unit of anything we are consuming - we don't want to stop in the middle.
Published on Jan 01, 2023
The ability to believe that others have an unobservable mental state. This is critical for social interactions, communication, empathy, morality, self-consciousness. We understand other people by ascribing mental states to them (that is, surmising what is happening in their mind).
Published on Jan 01, 2023
This is a learning method that improves recall and typically done with flashcards. This is based on the idea of a 'forgetting curve' - the rate at which we forget new information over time. If we are exposed to the information again at the main points of the forgetting curve, we will not forget it.
Published on Jan 01, 2023
Different kinds of tasks has different demands on people’s working memory. More complex and difficult tasks has higher "cognitive load" and a greater perceived mental effort. There are 3 types of cognitive load..
Published on Nov 25, 2022
Humans have a natural curiosity - its a drive to learn patterns, rules, heuristic that lets you compress your understanding into something that's easier to remember. If you encounter a new rule that can better compress knowledge than the earlier one, that is 'compression progress'. Brain will use the better rule from then onward. We learn many such rules as children - but we refine them as we grow older. Brain rewards us with a good feeling or 'Aha moments' when we find a better rule.
Published on Nov 25, 2022
The use of existing knowledge to prevent new and perhaps contradictory knowledge to come in. The mind will try to protect its existing beliefs. Knowledge Shields can lead to wrong conclusions and can make us discount evidence.
Published on Oct 16, 2022
Cognitive Bias is a known error in the thinking process. These are generally caused by brain using shortcuts to process large amount of inputs.
Published on Oct 15, 2022
Learning is adding things to your long term memory.
Published on Sep 28, 2022
Motivated Belief is when a person believes something because they want it to be true, not necessarily because that belief is supported by facts or other evidence.
Published on Oct 06, 2021
People rethink less when an issue is presented as black and white. But many activism movements tend to employ a binary framing. You are either an environmentalist or your a climate change denier. You are woke or you are a racist. Picking a side is an emotional task - not a good way to change your mind.
Published on Sep 13, 2021
In a constantly changing environment, it pays to be able to change your mind. You should know how to re-think - so as to integrate new information and also error check previous knowledge.
Published on Sep 13, 2021
Intelligence = ability to accomplish complex goals
Published on Sep 09, 2021
When we encounter an easy problem we are relaxed/not focused. In this mode, the System 1 thinking is strengthened and system 2 weakened. When we are in this state, we will be more creative and intuitive. But we are more likely to make mistakes.
Published on Aug 18, 2021
We substitute the actual question with an easier to answer question. Eg. "Will this man be a good secretary" becomes "Does this man fit my mental idea of a good secretary?"
Published on Aug 18, 2021
You overestimate the probability of something that you hear more often/remember easily. Eg. We think accidents kill more people than strokes.
Published on Aug 18, 2021
Summary of the Thinking Fast and Slow book. Does not cover the things mentioned in the other note.
Published on Aug 18, 2021
When receiving criticism, just accept it in the initial stage. Hear out the criticism assuming it is true. You can analyze it later.
Published on Aug 18, 2021
A lesson is a user interface to knowledge. All concepts in UX can be used to create better lessons.
Published on Aug 17, 2021
Finding a purpose might be a wrong path to take to get a purpose. A better one would be to cultivate it.
Published on Aug 11, 2021
Mind greatly prefers any Coherent story over uncertainty. It will choose a explanation it deems likely over saying "I don't know".
Published on Aug 11, 2021
People tend to think that events could have been easily predictable AFTER the outcome is clear. The certainty that people attribute to their predictions are much higher that it actually is.
Published on Aug 06, 2021
Expected Value: Theoretical net positive or negative of a given event over time.
Published on Aug 06, 2021
When you can store a bunch of information in your working memory as one unit. Eg. 2,0,1,9 is four numbers - but 2019 is chunked into one recent year. You can hold more information if you can chunk it up. Education should give you lots of chunkable abstractions. Chunks can be handled better by System 1.
Published on Jul 28, 2021
The unwanted habits or behaviors are triggered by a negative emotion that you want to get away from. The unwanted behavior is how you distract yourself from the negative emotion. People strive to avoid psychological discomfort.
Published on Jul 19, 2021
People hold passionate views about topic that they don't really understand. They think they understand it - but its only apparent when they are asked to explain it in detail. That is where they will fail.
Published on Jul 17, 2021
People make different decisions if they pause and think about the decision vs when they react immediately. System 1 is way more vulnerable to exploits.
Published on Jul 16, 2021
We attribute the reason of our own(or of our friends) failures to the environment, but the failures of others(or our enemies) to their character.
Published on Jul 15, 2021
Disciplined questioning that enables critical thinking...
Published on Jul 02, 2021
Ask yourself why recursively about a problem 5 times. This will lead you to root cause of the problem. It will take you down the cause and effect relationship till you reach a deep enough point.
Published on Jul 02, 2021
This tool will let you break down a problem into is smallest units and build a solution focusing on those units. We generally understand by analogy - we connect the new information to something we already know. That's easier and quicker - but not as accurate as getting to the first principles. Some ways to do this...
Published on Jul 02, 2021
Sharing the process of building/learning something in public is better that sharing the goal of building it. Advantages of sharing the process...
Published on Jun 25, 2021
There are other Process to Learn a new skill as well.
Published on Jun 25, 2021
This is a modified version of the Organizational Knowledge Management process. This process is more geared for Personal Knowledge Management and skill building.
Published on Jun 24, 2021
Shortcut Method: Try to explain the concept to a child(ELI5).
Published on Jun 23, 2021
Make a 2x2 grid with 2 axis - Important and Urgent. This is how you treat the four quadrants...
Published on May 08, 2021
Mental Model is a simplified mental representation of a complex real world system.
Published on May 07, 2021
Mindful productivity: Being consciously present in what you’re doing, while you’re doing it. Be aware your mental and emotional states. Calmly acknowledge and accept your feelings and thoughts while engaged in the activity.
Published on May 07, 2021
Soldier mindset thinks of their ideas as the land to defend - and attacks other external ideas or evidence that threaten their idea.
Published on May 07, 2021
Building A Second Brain is a methodology for saving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we've gained through our experience.
Published on Apr 09, 2021
Use this framework when consuming content to practice critical thinking. Use this when you immediately agree/disagre with the content(that points to subjective thinking).
Published on Apr 09, 2021
Map is a simplified representation of the reality(territory) in someone's mind. People generally confuse map for territory - but Map is not the territory.
Published on Dec 18, 2020