English - Week 1

• Bias and prejudice are closely related and often used interchangeably
• Bias is the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way due to personal opinions influencing judgment
• Key words for bias are favoritism and unfairness
• Common types of biases include anchoring bias, media bias, confirmation, conformity, and halo effect
• Anchoring bias: relying too much on pre-existing information or the first information found when making decisions
• Example: Being anchored to the idea that martial law is bad and filtering new information based on that belief
• Media bias: journalists and news producers selecting events and stories that are reported and how they are covered
• Example: A TV station supporting one presidential candidate over another in election coverage
• Confirmation bias: favoring information that confirms existing beliefs
• Example: A dog lover favoring information that supports the belief that dogs are better than cats
• Conformity bias: making decisions to fit in or please a group of people
• Example: Swaying opinions in a workplace setting to match the majority's decision
• Halo effect: positive influence on perception based on other related traits
• Example: Attractive individuals being rated higher on positive traits
• Prejudice refers to pre-judging before looking at evidence, leading to unfavorable opinions without knowledge or reason
• Common types of prejudice include racism, sexism, classicism, ageism, and religion
• Racism: idea that groups of people exhibit different characteristics based on race
• Example: Chinese individuals being considered virus carriers due to COVID-19
• Sexism: prejudice based on sex or gender
• Example: Women being considered weak compared to men in the past
• Classicism: prejudice based on social class or wealth
• Example: Poor individuals being seen as uneducated and not contributing to society
• Ageism: prejudicial attitude towards older people and the aging process
• Example: Belief that all adults should not be hired because they become a burden
• Religion: attitude towards a person or group based on religious beliefs
• Example: Losing a job due to conflicting religious beliefs with an employer
• Bias: inclination for or against a person, idea, or thing, considered unfair
• Examples of biases: favoring certain students over others, selecting pleasing articles for media owners
• Prejudice: preconceived opinion not based on experience or reason, leading to discrimination
• Examples of prejudice: assuming physically disabled individuals are mentally disabled, stereotyping all Muslim women as illiterate