Heuristics with Joe Pliskin: Sample Size
2017
This video on the “sample size” heuristic is part of a series of short videos introducing heuristics used in decision making. While these “mental shortcuts” are useful in some circumstances, they can also lead to more errors than deliberate, rational thinking. An awareness of these heuristics is of use to decision makers in all disciplines.
What do we mean by the “sample size” heuristic? People tend to believe that patterns typically seen in large samples should be seen in small ones as well, despite conflicting knowledge. Dr. Pliskin demonstrates this heuristic with a coin flipping example in this video.
Access the video. Heuristics with Joe Pliskin: Sample Size (~9 min)
This series of videos on heuristics was developed by Professor Joe Pliskin at the Center for Health Decision Science during his residency with the CHDS Media Hub led by Jake Waxman. They reflect low-stakes prototypes in the multimedia lab to use "storytelling" and "personalization" to connect with learners. Joe Pliskin is an Adjunct Professor of Health Decision Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor Emeritus at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Heuristics with Joe Pliskin: Sample Size
Source:
Heuristics with Joe Pliskin: Sample Size. Teaching Pack: Heuristics with Joe Pliskin. Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 2017. https://vimeo.com/250864868