Do appearances matter? They sure do for most of us, unfortunately all too much. Many of us judge people on superficial qualities when we encounter their appearances: if they are groomed, shaven, have a haircut, have nice clothes, have a nice car, have a nice house, have a nice job, etc. One of the most powerful influences is what people […]
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Base rate neglect is the tendency to ignore base general information, in favor of specific (new, novel, attention grabbing) information. The base rate neglect is also known as the base rate fallacy. This bias ties into the previous biases I have covered. Please see the bottom of the post for previous biases. If something is generally understood, novel new information […]
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Automation bias is an over-reliance on automated aids and decision support systems. Trust and complacency develops. Erroneous automated information is favored even when accurate contradictory non-automated information is presented. A person becomes complacent of their own ability to discern reality because they rely too much on an automated system. Instead of being aware and vigilant to seek and process information, […]
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The availability heuristic works like it sounds: whatever is most available is most easily used to make judgments and come to decisions. Judgments are based on memory recall. Recent information is imprinted on memory more vividly, and also primes us towards focusing on that information. The less something is vivid or available, the less likely it is to be used. […]
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Attentional bias is when we focus our attention on one specific thing. Cognitively, this is when we focus on one or two possible outcomes instead of seeing more options available. Physically it’s to focus our attention on a specific sensory stimulus. To focus on one thing at a time is useful. It prevent our brains from being bombarded with multiple […]
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Anchoring Someone tells you something. Someone else tells you something else. You rely on the first piece of information more than later pieces of information to form a conclusion. The first piece of information that is received into consciousness impacts us with greater weight, anchoring us like an anchor stabilizes a boat/ship. It fixates us into a position on a […]
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The allure of simplistic ambiguity over accurate complexity. First, an explanation on the words simplicity and ambiguity. Skip to the examples below if you want the “simple” understanding. Etymology Simplicity favors looking at something in a larger, less specific, less detailed, less defined way. It looks at common unifying aspects to connect them in a general reference. A unity towards […]
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Dr, Philip Zimbardo walks us though a lesson in Cognitive Dissonance. Dr. Leon Festinger’s theory shows us the precursor to Justification of Effort.
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