Search
Close this search box.

Cognitive Biases That Undermine Teaching

Credit: iStock.com/real444
Credit: iStock.com/real444
Like millions of people, I play Wordle each day in The New York Times. If you are unfamiliar, Wordle is a logic game in which you get six guesses to figure out a five-letter word. After you submit a guess, you get feedback about each letter in the word you chose. Either the letter is not in the correct word at all, the letter is in the correct word but in a different position, or the letter matches the correct answer. After you get the correct answer, you can have the “WordleBot” analyze how well you played in terms of luck and skill. I always do that, even though it often annoys me. The key to Wordle is to guess words that reduce the number of possible correct answers. When I carefully plan out a guess that will take me from, say, 48 possible answers down to 1, WordleBot always chalks up the guess to luck and not skill. Luck had nothing to do with it! In psychological terms, WordleBot is making an external or situational attribution about me, assuming my answer was due to luck, a transient factor outside my control. I want WordleBot to make an internal or dispositional attribution, saying my answer was due to stable, internal factors—specifically, my hard work and skill.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
“Did you hang up my Hamlet drawing yet?” my 11-year-old daughter asked me. “I sure did!” I replied....
Faculty know that today’s students require different levels of support to be successful. Not all college students have...
Do you know what keeps a bike upright when you ride it? What is it that a child...
In a world of deepfakes, it’s not uncommon to see videos of famous celebrities saying or doing things...
It seems like the most basic of course tasks: reading the syllabus. Yet, so often, student don’t do...
What percentage of numbers contain the digit 3? You might guess 10 percent, but in reality, almost all...

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

Login here

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.