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 […]
Cognitive Biases: Weber-Fechner Law
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 […]
Cognitive Biases: Value Selection Bias
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 […]
Cognitive Biases: Unit Bias
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 […]
Cognitive Biases: Implicit Bias
Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our judgments and decisions, often ina way that’s outside of our awareness or control. These biases can influence how we perceive and interact withindividuals from different groups, such as racial or ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, or LGBTQ+individuals. Implicit biases are distinct from […]
Cognitive Biases: Teleological Bias
What is Teleological Bias? Teleological bias occurs when we assume that an object, event, or phenomenon has a purpose or function beyond its immediatephysical properties or behaviors. For example: Types of Teleological Bias There are several types of teleological bias: Causes and Consequences of Teleological Bias Teleological bias can arise from various factors, including: The […]
Cognitive Biases: Surrogation Bias
What is Surrogation Bias? Surrogation bias happens when we rely too heavily on these surrogates, assuming they accurately reflect the true characteristic of interest. However, this assumption may not always hold true, leading to errors in judgment and decision-making. To illustrate this concept, let’s consider a few examples: Types of Surrogation Bias There are several […]
Cognitive Biases: Risk Compensation or Peltzman Effect
What is the Peltzman Effect? The Peltzman Effect occurs when individuals respond to safety measures or regulations by taking on more risk, thereby offsetting some of the benefits of the initial intervention. This can be seen as a form of “behavioral adaptation,” where people adjust their behavior in response to changes in their environment. Examples […]
Cognitive Biases: Systematic Bias
What is Systematic Bias? Systematic bias arises from the way our brains process information and make sense of the world around us. It’s a result of the mental shortcuts, heuristics, and rules-of-thumb we use to simplify complex decision-making tasks. These biases can be thought of as pre-programmed patterns or algorithms that shape our thinking, often […]
Cognitive Biases: Recency Illusion
What is The Recency Illusion? The Recency Illusion was first identified by linguist Mark Liberman in 2006, and it refers to the tendency for people tooverestimate the significance of recent language changes. This bias occurs when we mistakenly assume that linguistic features or expressions that have emerged or become more prominent during our lifetime are […]