Chapter 8 focuses on conceptual change as an essential component in knowledge acquisition and intellectual growth. It presents examples of the many misconceptions children and adults may have about their world (e.g., that summer is hotter than winter because the Earth is closer to the sun during summer), as well as common misconceptions about human nature (e.g., that a person’s intelligence level is biologically built in and thus relatively permanent). The chapter describes both common obstacles to conceptual change (e.g., confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, social and cultural influences) and factors that can sometimes spur conceptual change (e.g., meaningful learning, disequilibrium/cognitive dissonance). The chapter’s “Being Strategic” section offers several strategies for encouraging conceptual change in both oneself and others (e.g., intentionally seeking out conflicting perspectives, gaining a better understanding the nature of scientific theories and research methodologies, pre-assessment of students’ current understandings about a topic, and asking students to apply newly learned scientific explanations to real-world examples).