Chapter 3

People are generally overconfident by 10-20%

People get tired, have other things on their mind, etc => are not consistent
Statistical models operate relentlessly and consistently => better predictors
Experts are overconfident about their abilities to predict

Most people look only for confirming evidence
The only way to falsify an "if X then Y" statement is to find "X and not Y"
In science we always have to look for disconfirming evidence

Self-fulling prophecies:
   People receive confirming feedback for their misconceptions because they only look for confirming evidence

We should try to get rid of biases by sensitizing people to the possibility that prejudice may be present
We can frame questions in a way that discourages confirming answers

Self-negating prophecies
   Holding on to irrational beliefs prevents people from behaving in rational ways

We should ask experts what variables we should take into account when making a judgment but we should let a mechanical model combine the variables in a consistent manner.