On Being Wrong: Admitting (And Even Embracing) Fallibility

In our society - in education, especially - people are encouraged to provide the "right" answer, and are not encouraged to focus on the process utilized to achieve the results. Consequently, most of us hate being wrong. This talk will focus on the psychological processes at work when we make mistakes. If explored and understood, these processes will make it easier to admit when we're wrong and, even, to help us embrace our fallibility.

This SkepTalk is presented as a FREE public service by the Bay Area Skeptics.

Our speaker, Dr. Marilin Colon, is a board certified behavior analyst who provides behavior consultation services to children and adults with developmental disabilities throughout the Bay Area. Her main passion is teaching, and she has been focusing on making that her primary occupation for the last several years. She teaches Psychology courses at California State University East Bay, Ohlone College, and Dominican University. As a teacher, she has experienced first-hand the emphasis by both students and administration on obtaining the "right" answer and the negative connotations of being wrong. Her goal is to ebb away from this faulty thinking by teaching her students critical thinking skills that will aid them beyond their college education.