cognitive bias Flashcards
whats cognitive bias ?
Refers to how are thinking can lean in one direction
why is cognitive bias bad ?
They are automatic and affect what we notice, what we remember, how we make decisions and how we interpret other people’s behaviour. So how we process information becomes flawed, and our ability to make rational choices is undermined
why is cognitive bias good ?
cognitive biases simplify how we view the world and allow us to make decisions quickly (shortcuts that help us process information)
what are the three types of cognitive bias ?
.fundamental attribution error
.confirmation bias
.hostile attribution bias
whats fundamental attribution bias ?
when we focus on a person’s personal characteristics and overlook the role of the situation, when explaining the reasons for other peoples behaviour
whats confirmation bias ?
when we pay more attention to details (and recall more easily) information that supports our existing beliefs.
whats hostile attribution bias ?
a tendancy to assume that someone else’s behaviour has an aggressive or antagonistic motive when it is actually neutral.
example of fundamental attribution bias ?
assuming a friend is late due to their personal characteristics such as they don’t believe it’s important to be on time
example of confirmation bias ?
if you support a football team you are more sensitive to information that confirms you existing views of the team
example of hostile attribution bias ?
interpreting an acidental bump in a crowded pub as deliberately aggressive.
strengths of cognitive biases ?
.real life application- helps us understand why some people are aggressive, understanding cognitive biases is the first step in preventing these cognitive biases affecting our behaviour, reducing aggression and conflict
. research support- evidence of the link between aggression and and hostile attribution bias ( Tuente et al) . People with strong HAB often behave more aggresively
weakness of cognitive biases ?
FAE is not universal= the idea cannot be applied to everyone as it culturally specific such as in collectivist cultures such as China they prioritise the group/community over individual needs, so people tend to attribute behaviour to situational factors and not to personality
