Ulterior Motives

How goals, both seen and unseen, drive behavior.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

One of the more frustrating things as a parent is that your kids do things, and when you ask them why, they have no idea. You ask them, "What were you thinking?" and you get a blank stare, and if you're lucky, a shrug of the shoulders. As adults, we think we understand our own behavior, and so it frustrates us that our kids don't understand what is driving their actions. Read More

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Art Markman, Ph.D., is a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas whose research spans a range of topics in the way people think.

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