probability neglect
n.— «Humans are the only species that understand risk, but we also engage in what’s called “probability neglect.” This is when we ignore probabilities and worry about more traumatic possibilities.» —“Good Question: Why Do We Worry?” by Ben Tracy WCCO-TV (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Feb. 16, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Quiz Guy John Chaneski was inspired by his college-age son’s remote classes, which he could hear but not quite make out through the wall. For this week’s puzzle, he offers a similarly garbled description of a college course. For example, which...
While studying psychology in West Lafayette, Indiana, Sarah wondered whether it’s correct to speak of a treatment’s efficacy or its effectiveness. Usually, in research and professional settings, efficacy describes how well a treatment works under...