The Defensive Attribution Hypothesis is a psychological concept that explains how people tend to attribute blame orresponsibility for negative events differently depending on whether they themselves are involved. This hypothesis was first proposed by psychologist Shelley Taylor in 1983, as an extension of the self-serving attribution bias. What is the Defensive Attribution Hypothesis? According to […]

What is the Actor-Observer Bias? The Actor-Observer Bias occurs when individuals attribute their own behavior to situational factors (e.g., “I was late because of traffic”), while attributing the same behavior in others to dispositional factors (e.g., “He’s always late because he’s irresponsible”). This bias arises from a fundamental difference in how we perceive ourselves versus […]

What causes the Halo Effect? The Halo Effect is thought to arise from several cognitive biases: How does the Halo Effect manifest? The Halo Effect can be observed in various domains: Examples in real-life scenarios Consequences of the Halo Effect The Halo Effect can have significant consequences: Mitigating the Halo Effect To reduce the influence […]

The Cheerleader Effect is a cognitive bias that refers to the phenomenon where people tend to perceive groups or teams as more attractive or appealing when they are presented together, rather than individually. This effect is often observed in social situations, such as when evaluating potential romantic partners, friends, or colleagues. What is the Cheerleader […]

Authority Bias is a type of cognitive bias that occurs when people give excessive weight to information or opinions fromauthority figures, such as experts, leaders, or institutions. This bias can lead individuals to ignore their own criticalthinking and judgment, and instead, blindly follow the advice or directives of those in positions of power. What is […]

What is the Association Fallacy? The Association Fallacy is also known as the Correlation-Causation Fallacy. It arises when people mistakenly believe that a correlation between two variables implies causality. In other words, just because two events or characteristics are related, it does not mean that one causes the other. Examples of the Association Fallacy Here […]

The Women Are Wonderful (WAW) effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people tend to evaluate women more favorably than men, even when they are presented with identical information. This bias can manifest in various ways, including in judgments of competence, likeability, and overall evaluation. History of the WAW Effect The Women Are Wonderful […]

The Weber-Fechner law is a fundamental concept in psychophysics, which describes the relationship between physical stimuli and their perceived intensity by humans. The law states that the just-noticeable difference (JND) in a stimulus is proportional to the original stimulus magnitude. History of the Law The Weber-Fechner law was first discovered by Ernst Heinrich Weber, a […]

Value selection bias refers to the tendency for individuals or organizations to selectively choose values, principles, or goals that align with their existing interests, motivations, or biases. This type of bias can lead to a distorted representation of reality and a lack of objectivity in decision-making processes. How Value Selection Bias Works When individuals or […]

This bias arises from the way our brains process information. When we encounter a single instance of something, it can have a disproportionate impact on our perception and memory. This is because our brains are wired to respond more strongly to specific, concrete examples than to abstract or statistical information. Unit bias can manifest in […]