Now You will think that …
“Heck no!! definitely I am not biased as much as others are.”
Now let me tell you, you have illusion of objectivity , which is the inclination of individuals to perceive themselves as more objective, perceptive, and less influenced by biases than their peers.
Let me share few types below, this is not an exhausted list.
- Confirmation Bias:
Description: This happens when people ignore information that contradicts their beliefs in favour of information that confirms them.
Example: if someone thinks a particular diet is the best for losing weight, they might only pay attention to success stories and disregard research that indicates other diets can be equally effective.
- Availability Bias:
Description: When people make decisions based on information that immediately comes to mind, frequently because it is recent or vivid, this is known as availability bias.
Example:: Despite the fact that shark attacks are extremely rare, people may develop an unreasonable fear of swimming in the ocean after hearing about one in the news.
- Correspondence bias:
Description: The fundamental attribution error, also referred to as the correspondence bias or over-attribution effect, is a cognitive bias wherein individuals tend to place excessive importance on personal or dispositional factors when explaining the behavior of others, while simultaneously giving less weight to situational factors as explanations.
Example:: You see someone running a red light and think, “They’re a reckless driver.” This is the fundamental attribution error. You’re attributing their behavior to their personality without considering they might be rushing to the hospital.
- Halo Effect:
Description: The halo effect is when we overlook someone’s flaws because of their positive traits or accomplishments that have a general positive impact on our perception of them.
Example:: Even if there is no proof to back up the assumption, people may believe a celebrity who is well-known for their charitable work is also a great actor.
- Anchoring Bias:
Description: When making decisions, people who exhibit anchoring bias tend to place an excessive amount of weight on the first piece of information they are given.
Example:: For instance, if the salesperson mentions a high initial cost when you are buying a car, you might become fixated on that cost and be less open to considering other, more affordable options.
- Gender Bias:
Description: Favouring one gender over the other results in unfair treatment or missed opportunities. This is known as gender bias.
Example:: One blatant example of gender bias is the underpayment of women for equivalently qualified jobs.
- Selection Bias:
Description: When one group or set of data is preferred over another in a study or sample, selection bias occurs, which can result in false conclusions.
Example:: As an illustration, a survey about video game popularity that is conducted at a gaming convention might not accurately reflect the preferences of the general public.
- Stereotype Bias:
Description: When assumptions or stereotypes about a group of people influence judgments or perceptions, stereotyping bias occurs.
Example:: An illustration of stereotype bias is the belief that all seniors are technologically uneducated and incapable of using smartphones.
- Racial Bias:
Description: People who are treated differently, frequently unfairly or negatively, based on their race or ethnicity are said to be subject to racial bias.
Example:: An illustration of racial bias in action is when law enforcement stops or questions people based solely on their race rather than any indication of wrongdoing.
INTERESTING POINT
A couple of thing which I know our mind uses which in a way,that effect us of being bias toward something/someone.
– Schemas are like mental filing cabinets in our brains where we store information about different things. We create these files through our past experiences, like what we’ve seen, heard, touched, smelled, and how we’ve moved or interacted with stuff.
For example, think about your “birthday party” schema. In that mental file, you have memories of cake, balloons, and singing. This information comes from your past experiences of celebrating birthdays.
So, when you go to a friend’s birthday party, your brain uses this “birthday party” file to understand what’s happening. It helps you know that there will be cake, balloons, and singing because those are things you’ve learned to expect at birthday parties. Schemas help us understand and make sense of the world by using our past knowledge to guide us in new situations.
– Heuristics are like quick and simple tricks our brain uses to figure things out or make choices. They’re kind of like mental shortcuts.
For example, imagine you’re at a store, and you want to buy a new phone. Instead of comparing every single detail about each phone, which would take a lot of time, you might use a heuristic like picking the one with the brand you’ve heard of the most. This shortcut helps you decide quickly.
So, heuristics are these little mental tools that help us make choices and solve problems faster, even though they might not always be the most accurate way to do it. They’re like our brain’s way of taking a quicker path to a decision.
