Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell

Published by Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company,

2005

blink

Thinking about

thinking

Synopsis• Malcolm Gladwell presents behavioral and

psychological anecdotes which describe the mental processes that happen in our subconscious brains , focusing on how we make decisions.

• These subconscious decisions can be positive, resulting in expert judgments, or they can be negative, resulting in stereotypical judgments.

Thin-slicing• What is it? – Our ability to make

“snap” judgments or decisions based on information we receive unawares (through our subconscious).

– This is what some might call intuition.

Example of Thin-slicing: Real or Fake?

• Unknown Greek, about 530 B.C., or modern forgery Marble 81 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. 85.AA.40

• Currently on view at the Getty Villa Malibu

In case you want to know: A kouros is a statue of a standing nude youth that did not represent any one individual youth but the idea of youth.

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=12908

Analysis Paralysis• What is it? – Sometimes we pay too much attention to too

much information and then we become disabled in decision-making. Too many choices or too much information leads to an inability to “see the forest for the trees.”

• Examples.• When do we use it? – Sometimes we have too many choices in a store and we end up

not buying anything.• Why should teachers care? – Sometimes better judgments can be made with a frugality of

information.

Unconscious Bias: Implicit Association• What is it? “the immediate, automatic

associations that tumble out before we’ve even had time to think” (Gladwell, 84-85)We do not get to decide on these associations. They are developed by the experiences we have that lead us to favor a race or sex.

• Examples.– President Warren Harding– IAT Test

Unconscious Bias: Implicit Association (cont’d.)

• When do we use it? – Our associations surface regardless of how “unbiased”

we believe we are or try to be. In meeting a student, parent, or other teachers of a race other than the one we are most comfortable with, our unconscious bias effects the way we behave.

• Why should teachers care?– When we communicate with students

or parents who are not in the association group we favor, we may use non-verbal cues that they can identify and make them less confident or comfortable speaking with us.

Psychological Priming• “When we make a split-second decision, … we

are really vulnerable to being guided by our stereotypes and prejudices, even ones we may not necessarily endorse or believe.” (Gladwell, 233)

• As educators we need to be aware of the subtle influences that can shape and even skew our unconscious

• More often than not we really don’t comprehend all the factors that influence our first impressions

Louis Cheskin, a marketing expert of the 20th century, said to put a “crown on the package,” call it Imperial Margarine and watch how consumers would associate it with high quality

First impressions can be extremely misleading. Understanding them, along with our snap judgments, is a daunting challenge. As educators we need to make a conscious effort to remember that there are unconscious reactions that come out in those first encounters.

Educational Application• We get a rush of thoughts, images,

and preconceptions just from hearing the names of certain students• We have all heard, “Don’t judge a

book by its cover”• Understanding what is behind our

snap judgments and 1st impressions

Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache acquired a legendary status in his own lifetime

Abbie Conant “That’s who we want!”

Becchina sold the controversial kouros to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1985.

Thomas Hoving,The 1st word to enter his mind was “fresh,”

Vic Braden, tennis coach can spot a double-fault serve before it is released

Many times we fail to understand “our feelings about unfamiliar things”

Kenna Zemedkunmusician

Viewers initially said they hated these shows; but, they were really shocked by them

The Mary Tyler Moore ShowAmericans are conditioned Aeron ® ChairBy Herman Miller

Unconscious Bias: Implicit Association• What is it? • Examples.• When do we use it?• Why should teachers care?

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/selectatest.html

Try the test to see if you are biased.

References

Possible clip art

Worth watching:What we can learn from spaghetti

18 minutesMalcom Gladwell on Youtube

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiAAhUeR6Y&feature=related