5.8 Biases & Error

• What is functional fixedness?


  the tendency to only think of the familiar functions of an object.
• What are the two types of heuristics?

  availability and representativeness
• What is the availability heuristic?


  the ability to easily recall immediate examples from the mind about something. When someone asks you "What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of . . .,"
• What is the representativeness heuristic?


  when you judge something based on how they match your prototype.
• What is confirmation bias?


  the tendency of individuals to support or search for information that aligns with their opinions and ignore information that doesn't.
• What is belief perseverance?


  the tendency to hold onto a belief even if it has lost its credibility.
• What is belief bias?


  the tendency for our preexisting beliefs to distort logical thinking, making logical conclusions look illogical.
• What is the halo effect?


  when positive impressions of people lead to positive views about their character and personality traits.

  
  

  
  

  For example, if you see someone as attractive you may think of them as having better personality traits and character even though this isn't necessarily true
• What is self serving bias?


  when a person attributes positive outcomes to their own doing and negative outcomes to external factors.

  
  

  
  

  For example, if you do well on a test you may think it makes sense, because you did a good job of studying to prepare for the exam. But if you fail the test, you may put the blame on the teacher for not teaching all the material or for making the test too hard.
• What is attentional bias?


  when people's perceptions are influenced by recurring thoughts.

  
  

  
  

  For example, if marine biology has been on your mind a lot lately, your conversations may include references to marine biology. You would also be more likely to notice information that relates to your thoughts (marine biology).
• What is action-observer bias?


  when a person might attribute their own actions to external factors and the actions of others to internal factors.

  
  

  
  

  For example, if you see someone else litter, you might think about how people are careless. But if you litter, you might say it was because there was no trash can within sight.
• What is anchoring bias?


  when an individual relies heavily on the first piece of information given when making a decision.
• What is hindsight bias?


  when you think you knew something all along after the outcome has occurred
• What is framing?


  the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.