Cognitive Bias: Recognizing and Managing Our Unconscious Bias
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The Status Quo Bias and Decisions to Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment
HUMANITIES | MEDICINE AND SOCIETY The status quo bias and decisions to withdraw life-sustaining treatment n Cite as: CMAJ 2018 March 5;190:E265-7. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.171005 t’s not uncommon for physicians and impasse. One factor that hasn’t been host of psychological phenomena that surrogate decision-makers to disagree studied yet is the role that cognitive cause people to make irrational deci- about life-sustaining treatment for biases might play in surrogate decision- sions, referred to as “cognitive biases.” Iincapacitated patients. Several studies making regarding withdrawal of life- One cognitive bias that is particularly show physicians perceive that nonbenefi- sustaining treatment. Understanding the worth exploring in the context of surrogate cial treatment is provided quite frequently role that these biases might play may decisions regarding life-sustaining treat- in their intensive care units. Palda and col- help improve communication between ment is the status quo bias. This bias, a leagues,1 for example, found that 87% of clinicians and surrogates when these con- decision-maker’s preference for the cur- physicians believed that futile treatment flicts arise. rent state of affairs,3 has been shown to had been provided in their ICU within the influence decision-making in a wide array previous year. (The authors in this study Status quo bias of contexts. For example, it has been cited equated “futile” with “nonbeneficial,” The classic model of human decision- as a mechanism to explain patient inertia defined as a treatment “that offers no rea- making is the rational choice or “rational (why patients have difficulty changing sonable hope of recovery or improvement, actor” model, the view that human beings their behaviour to improve their health), or because the patient is permanently will choose the option that has the best low organ-donation rates, low retirement- unable to experience any benefit.”) chance of satisfying their preferences. -
PERCEPTIONS of AMBIGUOUS EVENTS by Cleopatre Paulvin A
PERCEPTIONS OF AMBIGUOUS EVENTS by Cleopatre Paulvin A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Psychology Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December 2015 Copyright 2015 by Cleopatre Paulvin ii PERCEPTIONS OF AMBIGUOUS EVENTS by Cleopatre Paulvin This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate's thesis advisor, Dr. Alan Kersten, Department of Psychology, and has been approved by the members of her supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Psychology. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Alan Kersten, Ph.D. Thesis Advis r /MtM.tf L. David L. Wolgin, Ph.D.Id, - Chair, Department of Psychology /Jerd.h��Interim Dean, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science ��z��D�· D(� Dean, Graduate College lll ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards my academic advisor Dr. Alan Kersten for the support, knowledge, and time shared with me since my undergraduate years. I am also grateful towards Dr. Ryne Sherman and Dr. David Bjorklund for agreeing to be on the thesis committee and for supporting this research endeavor and helping to improve it with insightful commentary. iv ABSTRACT Author: Cleopatre Paulvin Title: Perceptions of Ambiguous Events Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Alan Kersten Degree: Master of Arts Year: 2015 This study looked at the effects of stereotypes in the media on memory for ambiguous events. The latter were stimuli created to portray individuals of two different racial groups (white and black) in situations that did not necessarily negatively implicate these actors. -
Cognitive Bias Mitigation: How to Make Decision-Making More Rational?
Cognitive Bias Mitigation: How to make decision-making more rational? Abstract Cognitive biases distort judgement and adversely impact decision-making, which results in economic inefficiencies. Initial attempts to mitigate these biases met with little success. However, recent studies which used computer games and educational videos to train people to avoid biases (Clegg et al., 2014; Morewedge et al., 2015) showed that this form of training reduced selected cognitive biases by 30 %. In this work I report results of an experiment which investigated the debiasing effects of training on confirmation bias. The debiasing training took the form of a short video which contained information about confirmation bias, its impact on judgement, and mitigation strategies. The results show that participants exhibited confirmation bias both in the selection and processing of information, and that debiasing training effectively decreased the level of confirmation bias by 33 % at the 5% significance level. Key words: Behavioural economics, cognitive bias, confirmation bias, cognitive bias mitigation, confirmation bias mitigation, debiasing JEL classification: D03, D81, Y80 1 Introduction Empirical research has documented a panoply of cognitive biases which impair human judgement and make people depart systematically from models of rational behaviour (Gilovich et al., 2002; Kahneman, 2011; Kahneman & Tversky, 1979; Pohl, 2004). Besides distorted decision-making and judgement in the areas of medicine, law, and military (Nickerson, 1998), cognitive biases can also lead to economic inefficiencies. Slovic et al. (1977) point out how they distort insurance purchases, Hyman Minsky (1982) partly blames psychological factors for economic cycles. Shefrin (2010) argues that confirmation bias and some other cognitive biases were among the significant factors leading to the global financial crisis which broke out in 2008. -
Implicit Stereotyping and Prejudice '63
Pcttigrcw. T. F. (1979). lhc ultirnale altrihulion enor: hending Allport's cognitive analysis of '$rcjudicc. I'r~sonali~nnd Srwial Psycholngv Bulkrin. 5. 461-476. Implicit Stereotyping and kelifisch. J hl. ( 1958). A wale for personality rigidit:,. Journal oJCnnsulrin~Ps.vc-holnxv. 22. 10- 15. Prejudice Rchson. B IIPX). January). Prick and prejudice. MplslSc Paul. pp. 42-51. 130-136. Sanbonmatsu. D. M.. Shemian. S. I.. & Hamilton. D. L. (1987). Illusory corrclali~inin the pcrcep- In M.P. Zanna & J.M. Olson (Eds.), (1994: lion of proups and individuals. Sncial Cognirion. 5. 461-476. Schmidt. I). F., & Boland. S. M. (1986). S~mclureof pcrceplions of older adulls: Evidence for The Psychology of Prejudice:----- The multiple slcrcotypes. l'sych~~lo~yand A,qin~.1. 255-260. Ontario Symposium-. (Vol. 7, pp. 55-76). Shavitt. S. (1989). Functional imperative theory. In A. R. Pralkanis, S. I. Brccklcr. & A. G. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Grrcnwald (rds.). Arrirudr, wucrurr und /rtrr(.rion (pp. 31 1-337). Ilillsdale. NJ: lawrence Erllla~lniAsscriarcs. Shcrif, M . & Sherif. C. W. (1953). Gmup in hurmrmv untl rrnsion: An inrrgrarion ojsrudirs on Mahzarin R. Banaji inrrr,qn~uprr1arion.c. New York: Harper. Yale University Sidanius. J (in press) The psychology of group conflict and the dynamics of oppression: A social dontin;rnce perspective. In W. McGuire & S lycnpar (Eds.). Current oppn~uchrs10 pc11itic.al Anthony G. Greenwald p.rvrhdn~vIMlsdalc. NJ: lawrence Erlhaum Asstriatcs. University of Washington Smith. M. I$.. Druncr. J. S.. & White. R. W. (1956). Opinions andprrsonality. New York: Wilcy. Snydcr. ht ( 1987). Public. upprrir(rnrrslpri~~rereulirirs: Thr ps~chnk~pcf sel/-monirnrin. -
Stereotypes Can Be Learned Through Implicit Associations Or Explicit Rules
Stereotypes Can Be Learned through Implicit Associations or Explicit Rules by Anthony Michael Pascoe Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Duke University Date: ____________________ Approved: _________________________________ Wendy Wood, Committee Co-Supervisor _________________________________ Mark Leary, Committee Co-Supervisor _____________________________ Harris Cooper ____________________________ James Bettman Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Duke University 2011 ABSTRACT Stereotypes Can Be Learned through Implicit Associations or Explicit Rules by Anthony Michael Pascoe Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Duke University Date: ____________________ Approved: _________________________________ Wendy Wood, Committee Co-Supervisor _________________________________ Mark Leary, Committee Co-Supervisor _____________________________ Harris Cooper ____________________________ James Bettman An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Duke University 2011 Copyright by Anthony Michael Pascoe 2011 Abstract Two studies examined whether stereotypes can be created using different learning paradigms and whether the resulting stereotypes will have different properties that affect their activation, suppression, and explicit knowledge. In the Pilot -
Implicit Stereotypes and the Predictive Brain: Cognition and Culture in “Biased” Person Perception
ARTICLE Received 28 Jan 2017 | Accepted 17 Jul 2017 | Published 1 Sep 2017 DOI: 10.1057/palcomms.2017.86 OPEN Implicit stereotypes and the predictive brain: cognition and culture in “biased” person perception Perry Hinton1 ABSTRACT Over the last 30 years there has been growing research into the concept of implicit stereotypes. Particularly using the Implicit Associations Test, it has been demon- strated that experimental participants show a response bias in support of a stereotypical association, such as “young” and “good” (and “old” and “bad”) indicating evidence of an implicit age stereotype. This has been found even for people who consciously reject the use of such stereotypes, and seek to be fair in their judgement of other people. This finding has been interpreted as a “cognitive bias”, implying an implicit prejudice within the individual. This article challenges that view: it is argued that implicit stereotypical associations (like any other implicit associations) have developed through the ordinary working of “the predictive brain”. The predictive brain is assumed to operate through Bayesian principles, developing associations through experience of their prevalence in the social world of the perceiver. If the predictive brain were to sample randomly or comprehensively then stereotypical associations would not be picked up if they did not represent the state of the world. However, people are born into culture, and communicate within social networks. Thus, the implicit stereotypical associations picked up by an individual do not reflect a cognitive bias but the associations prevalent within their culture—evidence of “culture in mind”. Therefore to understand implicit stereotypes, research should examine more closely the way associations are communicated within social networks rather than focusing exclusively on an implied cognitive bias of the individual. -
Poll Workers, Election Administration, and the Problem of Implicit Bias
Michigan Journal of Race and Law Volume 15 2009 Poll Workers, Election Administration, and the Problem of Implicit Bias Antony Page Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis Michael J. Pitts Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Election Law Commons, Law and Psychology Commons, and the Law and Race Commons Recommended Citation Antony Page & Michael J. Pitts, Poll Workers, Election Administration, and the Problem of Implicit Bias, 15 MICH. J. RACE & L. 1 (2009). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl/vol15/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Journal of Race and Law by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. POLL WORKERS, ELECTION ADMINISTRATION, AND THE PROBLEM OF IMPLICIT BIAS Antony Page* Michael. Pitts** Racial bias in election administration-morespecifically, in the interaction between poll workers and voters at a polling place on election day-may be implicit, or unconscious. Indeed, the operation of a polling place may present an "optimal" setting for unconscious racial bias. Poll workers sometimes have legal discretion to decide whether or not a prospective voter gets to cast a ballot, and they operate in an environment where they may have to make quick decisions, based on little information, with few concrete incentives for accuracy, and with little opportunity to learn from their errors. -
Emotional Reasoning and Parent-Based Reasoning in Normal Children
Morren, M., Muris, P., Kindt, M. Emotional reasoning and parent-based reasoning in normal children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development: 35, 2004, nr. 1, p. 3-20 Postprint Version 1.0 Journal website http://www.springerlink.com/content/105587/ Pubmed link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dop t=Abstract&list_uids=15626322&query_hl=45&itool=pubmed_docsum DOI 10.1023/B:CHUD.0000039317.50547.e3 Address correspondence to M. Morren, Department of Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; e-mail: [email protected]. Emotional Reasoning and Parent-based Reasoning in Normal Children MATTIJN MORREN, MSC; PETER MURIS, PHD; MEREL KINDT, PHD DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL, CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY, THE NETHERLANDS ABSTRACT: A previous study by Muris, Merckelbach, and Van Spauwen1 demonstrated that children display emotional reasoning irrespective of their anxiety levels. That is, when estimating whether a situation is dangerous, children not only rely on objective danger information but also on their own anxiety-response. The present study further examined emotional reasoning in children aged 7–13 years (N =508). In addition, it was investigated whether children also show parent-based reasoning, which can be defined as the tendency to rely on anxiety-responses that can be observed in parents. Children completed self-report questionnaires of anxiety, depression, and emotional and parent-based reasoning. Evidence was found for both emotional and parent-based reasoning effects. More specifically, children’s danger ratings were not only affected by objective danger information, but also by anxiety-response information in both objective danger and safety stories. -
Dunning–Kruger Effect - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect Dunning–Kruger effect From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes.[1] Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University conclude, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others".[2] Contents 1 Proposal 2 Supporting studies 3 Awards 4 Historical references 5 See also 6 References Proposal The phenomenon was first tested in a series of experiments published in 1999 by David Dunning and Justin Kruger of the Department of Psychology, Cornell University.[2][3] They noted earlier studies suggesting that ignorance of standards of performance is behind a great deal of incompetence. This pattern was seen in studies of skills as diverse as reading comprehension, operating a motor vehicle, and playing chess or tennis. Dunning and Kruger proposed that, for a given skill, incompetent people will: 1. tend to overestimate their own level of skill; 2. fail to recognize genuine skill in others; 3. fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy; 4. recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill, if they are exposed to training for that skill. Dunning has since drawn an analogy ("the anosognosia of everyday life")[1][4] with a condition in which a person who suffers a physical disability because of brain injury seems unaware of or denies the existence of the disability, even for dramatic impairments such as blindness or paralysis. -
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How Cognitive Bias Undermines Value Creation in Life Sciences M&A
❚ DEAL-MAKING In Vivo Pharma intelligence | How Cognitive Bias Undermines Value Creation In Life Sciences M&A Life sciences mergers and acquisitions are typically based on perceived future value rather than objective financial parameters, but the cognitive biases inherent in subjective assessments can derail deals. Executives need to take emotion out of the equation and rely on relevant data to craft successful transactions. Shutterstock: enzozo Shutterstock: BY ODED BEN-JOSEPH erger and acquisition transactions play a central role in the life sci- ences sector and are the catalyst for growth and transformation, Executives who evaluate their prospects driving innovation from the laboratory all the way to the patient. As I based on a narrow, internally focused discussed in my August 2016 article, “Where the Bodies Lie” (Nature view relying on limited information and Biotechnology, 34, 909–911), life sciences companies often fall victim personal experience – rather than by to recurring misconceptions that lead to unnecessary failure. consulting the statistics of similar cases M These failures often hinge upon management’s misunderstanding of the funda- – are prone to overestimate both their chances and degree of success. mentals of market and transactional dynamics. In particular, cognitive biases play a critical role, often leading to mistakes that are predictable and systematic. These biases disproportionally hinder the life sciences sector where, unlike other sectors, objective This tendency to think narrowly about transaction strategies leads to a and measurable financial parameters such as revenue, earnings and margins play a number of pervasive and severe biases minor role in determining company value as compared with scientific and clinical data. -
Implicit Bias and the Law
SEEING THROUGH COLORBLINDNESS: IMPLICIT BIAS AND THE LAW * Jerry Kang ** Kristin Lane Once upon a time, the central civil rights questions were indisputably normative. What did “equal justice under law” require? Did it, for example, permit segregation, or was separate never equal? This is no longer the case. Today, the central civil rights questions of our time turn also on the underlying empirics. In a post–civil rights era, in what some people exuberantly embrace as post-racial, many assume that we already live in a colorblind society. Is this in fact the case? Recent findings about implicit bias from mind scientists sharply suggest otherwise. This Article summarizes the empirical evidence that rejects facile claims of perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral colorblindness. It then calls on the law to take a “behavioral realist” account of these findings, and maps systematically how it might do so in sensible, nonhysterical, and evidence-based ways. Recognizing that this call may be politically naive, the Article examines and answers three objections, sounding in “junk science” backlash, “hardwired” resignation, and “rational” justification. * Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law. [email protected]. http://jerrykang.net. ** Assistant Professor of Psychology, Bard College. Financial disclosure statement: The authors have earned honoraria from academic lectures on implicit bias. Professor Kang also serves as a paid consultant to the National Center for State Courts’ project on implicit bias. For helpful comments, we thank Gary Blasi, Devon Carbado, Rachel Godsil, Carol Goldberg, Anthony Greenwald, Cheryl Harris, Ken Karst, Sung Hui Kim, Doug Kysar, Greg Mitchell, Jennifer Mnookin, Jeff Rachlinski, Russell Robinson, Len Rubinowitz, Ed Stein, Michael Sullivan, Steven Willborn, and Noah Zatz.