Dr. Emre Soyer's Blogposts

Filtered Reality 

Our experiences make us who we are. They are the basis of our judgments and decisions, our habits, our actions… We are often shaped by the experiences that we can access easily. What we observe, what we see, what is given to us, what is available…
Yet there might be something wrong with this seemingly useful and effective strategy.
Do you ever think about the experience that you do not have? What wasn’t observed? What is it that you failed to see? What was perhaps not given to you? What wasn’t there?
It turns out, the experience that you do not take into account when making decisions can be crucial for success and happiness. This missing part might be leading us to the wrong direction, costing us our time, money and valuable resources.
What if there is something hidden, something that you could not observe that is not random?
What if the news you receive is biasing your judgments?
What if your world view is skewed without you being aware of it?
What if your doctors are tricked into giving you the wrong medicine?
What if using Facebook is making you depressed?
What if you could be happier just by slightly changing the way you think?
What if we live in a filtered reality, which conceals an important piece of the problem we want to solve?
Thankfully, all these important questions can be answered through some scientific research and experimental evidence.
You can listen to me here giving my best to address them at TEDxOZU. 

For your comments and ideas, please contact Dr. Emre Soyer at emre.soyer@ozyegin.edu.tr.

Dr. Soyer’s research interests are in judgment and decision making, statistical reasoning, presentation mode and pro-social behavior. His research has been published in journals such as Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Judgment and Decision Making, and International Journal of Forecasting. Dr. Soyer teaches courses on judgment and decision making, behavioral economics and research methods.