Cognitive bias

In the last post, I mentioned that reasoning sensibly is slow and requires effort, so we prefer quick and effortless solutions that we have defined as heuristics. These heuristics lead to systematic errors called cognitive biases. Let's see some of them.

Anchoring Bias. It is the tendency to consider the initial information we receive as a starting point for comparison. We enter store A and look at the prices of a couple of products, then we go to store B and the same products are slightly more expensive. The conclusion is that store B is expensive.

Apophenia. It is the tendency to see connections where there are none. For example, there is no connection between the position of the stars on the day we were born and our character, yet astrology is based on this. Many forms of alternative medicine exploit the placebo effect and our tendency to seek deep connections.

Cognitive Dissonance. It is the discomfort we feel when others' responses differ from our own. You're in school, the teacher asks for the capital of the United States, and you know it's Washington. Then the teacher goes around for answers, and all your classmates are saying "New York." Now it's your turn, and instead of answering Washington as you would like to, you lower your head and respond, "New York"... miserably wrong.

Confirmation Bias. It is the tendency to confirm our ideas while minimizing anything that contradicts them. You doubt that your partner is having an affair, but everything seems to confirm it: they stay late at work, they spend more time with friends, they receive phone calls. The fact that they are there for you in times of need, have given you a gift, and are invested in the relationship... doesn't carry the same weight.

Self-serving Bias. It is the tendency to attribute victories to our merits and defeats to external events independent of us. Did we pass an exam? The reason is that we studied and did well. Did we fail an exam? The reason is that the professor is an idiot and asked stupid questions.

Hindsight Bias. It is the tendency to believe that an event was easily predictable after it has occurred. Every time you say, "See, I knew it. I may not guess the lottery numbers, but I can predict these things," you are convinced that you can predict behaviors simply because they align with your expectations.

Sources: Kahneman & Tversky (1974) - Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases.

There are many more cognitive biases than the ones I listed. Take a look online to realize it. Did you know before today that these errors are called biases? Would you like to share a time when you made one of these errors?

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