Thinking traps test
Some questions are built to catch the first answer that comes to mind, and some arguments are built to sound convincing while proving nothing. Everyone falls for them sometimes; the trick is recognising them.
A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
About this test
Every wrong answer here is a named bias or fallacy, explained after each question. At the end you get a course that starts from the ones that caught you.
Questions people ask
What is the bat and ball problem?
A puzzle from the Cognitive Reflection Test: a bat and a ball cost $1.10, the bat costs $1 more than the ball. Most people say the ball costs 10 cents; it’s 5 cents.
What is confirmation bias?
The tendency to look for, notice and remember evidence that fits what you already believe, and to miss evidence against it.
What is a straw man argument?
Misrepresenting someone’s position as something more extreme or silly, then arguing against that instead of what they actually said.
What is the difference between a cognitive bias and a logical fallacy?
A bias is a habit of the mind that tilts how we judge things, like anchoring or hindsight. A fallacy is a flaw in an argument, like attacking the person instead of the point. This test has both.
Can you train yourself out of cognitive biases?
Mostly not by knowing about them. What helps is changing the situation: writing predictions down, checking how similar cases went, scoring things separately, and asking what would change your mind. Spotting the trap in the moment is easier once you’ve been caught by it once.
