Game Types, Problem Solving & Cognitive Biases
Game Types: A Breakdown
- Cooperative vs. Non-Cooperative:
- In cooperative games, participants can form alliances to maximize their chances of winning.
- In non-cooperative games, participants cannot form alliances.
- Symmetric vs. Asymmetric:
- In a symmetric game, all participants have the same goals, and their strategies determine the winner.
- In asymmetric games, participants have different or conflicting goals.
- Perfect vs. Imperfect Information:
- In perfect information games, all players can see the other players’ moves.
- In imperfect information games, the other players’ moves are hidden.
- Simultaneous vs. Sequential:
- In simultaneous games, players take actions concurrently.
- In sequential games, each player is aware of the other players’ previous actions.
- Zero-Sum vs. Non-Zero Sum:
- In zero-sum games, one player’s gain causes a loss for other players.
- In non-zero sum games, multiple players can benefit from another player’s gains.
- Static vs. Dynamic:
- In static games, players make decisions simultaneously, or if not simultaneous, they are not directly observed.
- In dynamic games, players receive new information during the game process.
Understanding Problems and Critical Thinking
What is a Problem? Problems of all kinds have three common components (Adams & Galanes, 2009):
- An unwanted situation (problem)
- A desired situation (opportunity)
- Obstacles/Stages between the unwanted situation and the desired one.
Characteristics of Problems:
- Difficulty of the task
- Number of possible solutions
- Group members’ interest in the problem
- Familiarity of the group with the problem
- Need for acceptance of the solution
Critical Thinking: Key Aspects
To exercise critical thinking, it is important to be aware that:
- Critical thinking includes:
- Understanding the logical connection between diverse ideas
- Identifying, constructing, and evaluating arguments
- Detecting inconsistencies and common errors in reasoning
- Troubleshooting problems systematically
- Identifying the relevance and importance of ideas
- Reflecting on the justification of one’s own beliefs and values and being aware of one’s own narratives.
Barriers to Critical Thinking:
- There are barriers to its application, and you have to be aware of them to avoid falling into them:
- Barriers due to human limitations
- Cognitive biases
- Language Barriers:
- Ambiguity
- Use of technical terms or unknown slang
- Words that incorporate emotional and evaluative content
- Euphemisms
- Barriers due to perceived and/or logical failures (Fallacies):
- Apophenia
- Argumentum ad ignorantiam
- Circular Reasoning
- Forer effect
- Non sequitur
- Law of large and small numbers
- Definitions are not clear, and there are times when fallacies are considered biases and vice versa.
Group Decision Making: Cognitive Biases
COGNITIVE BIASES DEFINITION
- Cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.
- It is the tendency to act in an irrational way due to our limited ability to process information objectively.
- Cognitive biases are often the result of mental shortcuts and unconscious processes.
- They occur due to the brain’s attempt to simplify information processing, enabling quicker decision-making but also opening the door to errors.
There are more than 180 biases studied
The Cognitive Bias Codex
