Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
When Spielberg’s movie ‘Jaws’ first hit the cinemas, the number of Californians going to the beach plummeted. Why? The answer is ‘The Availability Heuristic’. If something is ‘available’ to my memory – i.e. if it is easy for me to recall, it must be widespread, common, serious, important. Our brain is reluctant to start difficult questions such as ‘How often does this happen?’ (we are lousy at comparing or evaluating statistical probabilities) or even ‘How reliable is the source?’ (we tend to forget the source of the info).
Needless to say, this means that the media have a very powerful role in shaping public opinion, not by falsifying information or omitting some part of the truth (though they also engage in such practices) but simply by extensively covering certain events or aspects of reality much more than others.
[The recent events with ISIS are a good case in point: with Foley’s beheading being splashed all over the front pages and TV and computer screens, people tend to grossly overrate the danger that Muslim terrorism represents. This means that a) they conveniently forget any domestic problems they may have and b) that the US and its allies find ready support to intervene yet again in the Middle East…]
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
When Spielberg’s movie ‘Jaws’ first hit the cinemas, the number of Californians going to the beach plummeted. Why? The answer is ‘The Availability Heuristic’. If something is ‘available’ to my memory – i.e. if it is easy for me to recall, it must be widespread, common, serious, important. Our brain is reluctant to start difficult questions such as ‘How often does this happen?’ (we are lousy at comparing or evaluating statistical probabilities) or even ‘How reliable is the source?’ (we tend to forget the source of the info).
Needless to say, this means that the media have a very powerful role in shaping public opinion, not by falsifying information or omitting some part of the truth (though they also engage in such practices) but simply by extensively covering certain events or aspects of reality much more than others.
[The recent events with ISIS are a good case in point: with Foley’s beheading being splashed all over the front pages and TV and computer screens, people tend to grossly overrate the danger that Muslim terrorism represents. This means that a) they conveniently forget any domestic problems they may have and b) that the US and its allies find ready support to intervene yet again in the Middle East…]
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
![Psychology and ELT - Nudges [Medication]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rv8Xc7J0VDA/mqdefault.jpg "Psychology and ELT - Nudges [Medication]
How do you get people to follow doctor’s orders? Cumidin is an anti-stroke medication. The trouble is that not all people are as disciplined about taking their pills as they should be. What incentives can we think of to get them to do something which is after all for their own good? A very interesting case study for students of Business English.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].")
