Availability Heuristic
A mental
shortcut that helps us make decisions based on immediate
examples that come to mind. This often leads to biased
conclusions because we rely on readily available
information rather than all the facts.
Anchoring Bias: The tendency to rely
too heavily on the first piece of information
encountered (the "anchor") when making
decisions. This can skew our judgment and lead to
suboptimal choices.
Bias: A consistent tendency to favor
one perspective over another, which can result in unfair
judgments and decisions. Bias can be conscious or
unconscious and affects how we perceive and interpret
information.
Blind Spot Bias: The inability to
recognize our own biases while easily spotting them in
others. This can prevent self-awareness and hinder
personal growth.
Bandwagon Effect
The tendency to
adopt a belief or behavior because others are doing so,
often leading to conformity and a lack of independent
thinking.
Cognitive Bias: A systematic pattern
of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. These
biases can lead to misinterpretations and flawed
conclusions in specific situations.
Confirmation Bias: This occurs when we
seek out, interpret, and remember information that
aligns with our existing beliefs, often ignoring
contradictory evidence. It reinforces our preconceptions
and can cloud our judgment.
Conformity Bias
The tendency to
align our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those
of a group, even if we personally disagree. This can
suppress individuality and critical thinking.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
A
cognitive bias where individuals with low ability at a
task overestimate their ability, while those with high
ability may underestimate their competence. This can
lead to misjudgments about one’s own capabilities.
Egocentric Bias
The tendency to
rely heavily on our own perspectives and experiences
when evaluating situations, leading us to misjudge how
others may perceive events.
Empathy Gap: The inability to
accurately predict our future emotional states or
responses, leading us to underestimate the impact of
emotional experiences on decision-making.
Framing Effect: How information is
presented can significantly influence our perception and
decisions. Different presentations of the same data can
lead to different conclusions.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The
tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and
underestimate situational factors when evaluating
others’ behavior, leading to biased interpretations of
their actions.
Groupthink: A phenomenon where the
desire for group harmony overrides critical thinking,
resulting in poor decision-making and the suppression of
dissenting opinions.
Halo Effect: This bias occurs when our
overall impression of a person or situation influences
our judgments about their specific traits. For example,
if we view someone as likable, we may also perceive them
as more competent than they actually are.
Implicit Bias: Unconscious attitudes or
stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and
decisions without us even realizing it. These biases can
lead to unintentional discrimination.
In-group Bias: The tendency to favor
individuals within our own group (e.g., social,
cultural, or professional) over those in out-groups,
leading to preferential treatment and unfair
judgments.
Just-World Hypothesis: The belief that
people generally get what they deserve, which can lead
to biased judgments about social outcomes and a lack of
empathy for those who are struggling.
Knowledge Bias: The tendency to prefer
information that confirms our prior knowledge or
beliefs, often at the expense of considering new or
contradictory data. This can limit our understanding and
growth.
Locus of Control Bias: This bias
involves attributing successes and failures to internal
or external factors, affecting how we perceive our own
agency and responsibility in various situations.
Motivated Reasoning: The process of
interpreting information in a way that aligns with our
desires and preferences, leading to biased conclusions
that support our viewpoints.
Negativity Bias: The inclination to
give more weight to negative experiences or information
than to positive ones. This bias can skew our
perceptions and affect our overall outlook.
Overconfidence Bias: The phenomenon
where our confidence in our judgments exceeds the actual
accuracy of those judgments. This can lead to risky
decisions based on an inflated sense of certainty.
Optimism Bias: The belief that bad
things are less likely to happen to us compared to
others, leading to unrealistic risk assessments.
Projection Bias: The tendency to
assume that others share our beliefs, values, and
feelings, which can lead to misunderstandings and
misjudgments about their perspectives.
Question Framing: The way a question
is worded can significantly affect the responses it
elicits. This can lead to different interpretations and
outcomes in surveys or discussions.
Recency Effect: The tendency to
remember the most recently presented information better
than earlier data. This bias can shape our decisions,
often leading us to prioritize fresh data over older,
but potentially more relevant, information.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: This bias occurs
when we continue a behavior or endeavor due to
previously invested resources (time, money, or effort),
rather than evaluating its current value or
potential.
Self-Serving Bias: The habit of
attributing positive events to our own character while
attributing negative events to external factors. This
can distort our self-image and hinder personal
accountability.
Tipping Point Bias: The tendency to
overlook gradual changes until a significant shift
occurs. This bias can lead to a failure to recognize
important trends over time.
Unconscious Bias: Automatic judgments
and attitudes that occur without our awareness. These
biases can significantly influence our interactions and
decisions.
Vicarious Bias: The tendency to adopt
the biases and attitudes of others, particularly when we
observe their reactions or opinions. This can influence
our own beliefs and judgments.
Wishful Thinking: The inclination to
believe that something can happen simply because we want
it to, leading to unrealistic expectations and biased
outlooks.
Xenophobia: A bias characterized by
irrational fear or dislike of people from different
cultures or countries. This can manifest in
discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.
Yearning for Consistency: The desire
to maintain a coherent belief system often leads us to
interpret new information in a way that aligns with our
existing views, even if it distorts reality.
Zeigarnik Effect: The tendency to
remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones,
which can affect how we prioritize tasks and influence
our decision-making processes.