How to deal with the social side of computing life
summary
Argues that engineers reliably misjudge social behavior with concrete experiments: subconscious cues steer choices (favorite food and waiting-room studies), free samples and decoy pricing measurably increase uptake, and a warm environment raises compliance; cognitive load and an eight‑hour “green” window change judgment. Shows cross‑cultural effects (handshake and greeting norms in Brazil vs Germany), finds smarter people often hold stronger preconceptions, and offers simple mitigations like A/B tests, checklists and paper prompts to reduce confirmation bias and status quo bias.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (10)
- 0:00Social challenges in computing
- 3:52Brain's unconscious decisions
- 10:08Subtle behavior influences
- 15:22Psychological biases in choices
- 21:31Overestimating rationality
- 25:53Evolution of social decisions
- 31:37Smart people's cognitive traps
- 34:04Better social strategies
- 36:12Cultural communication differences
- 39:15Open discussion and audience questions
related talks
30mBehavioral Software Engineering
38mCognitive Bias: A reflection and path forward
40mHow to deal with the social side of computing life
34mThe Art and Science of Communication
19mSE, Applied Educational Theory, And The Gap Between Them
39mHow Cognitive Biases Affect our Software Architectures
21mDerailing irrationality
07mSAG Expert Interview #02: How Cognitive Biases Impact Software Architecture