Decide -The Neuroscience Of Breaking Bias

Question 1

WHY ARE WE BIASED?

Answer 1

Our brains are wired 
Biases help us go 
We have no conscious to be biased 
faster, avoid danger, 
experience of and feel good 
being biased

Question 2

HOW CAN WE MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?

Answer 2

ACCEPT
LABEL that we are all biased
the bias using The SEEDS Model

Question 3

The SEEDS Model

Answer 3

Similarity Bias
Expedience Bias 
Experience Bias
Distance Bias
Safety Bias

Question 4

Similarity Bias

Answer 4

Remove personally identifying information from people decision processes Create shared goals across groups of people

Question 5

Expedience Bias

Answer 5

WHAT IS IT
Mental short-cuts that help us make quick and efficient decisions
EXAMPLE Availability bias—making a decision based on the information that comes to mind most quickly
LOOK OUT FOR
Hurried decisions (when rushed, we make obvious choices)
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Break problem into smaller “chunks” Take additional time to reflect before you decide Create incentives for people to identify their own mistakes

Question 6

Experience Bias

Answer 6

WHAT IS IT We falsely think we accurately see the world, and then make decisions based on what we falsely think is true
EXAMPLE
Bias blind spot—identifying biases in others but not in ourselves
LOOK OUT FOR Creative decisions (nonconsciously we prefer our own ideas)
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Get multiple other independent opinions Revisit ideas after a break Take another perspective

Question 7

Distance Bias

Answer 7

WHAT IS IT
We assign greater value to things that are closer to us in time or space
EXAMPLE
Temporal discounting—preferring a smaller reward now to a larger reward in the future
LOOK OUT FOR
Undervaluing people and resources at a distance
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Take distance out of the decision Allot more time for remote collaborators and employees

Question 8

Safety Bias

Answer 8

WHAT IS IT
We assign greater weight to negatives than to positives
EXAMPLE Loss aversion—the pain of losing $20 is greater than the pleasure of gaining $20
LOOK OUT FOR
Being overly risk-averse in business decisions
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Imagine you are deciding for someone else Imagine the decision has already been made Get someone else to make the decision

Question 9

Accept & Label Practice Tool

Answer 9

Remember…
• Accept that the brain is wired for bias. It is automatic and unconscious and can get in the way of making better decisions.
• Label the kind of bias that will affect your decision so you can take control of making good choices as a team.

Question 10

You are deciding whether or not to sell a losing stock SEEDS?

Answer 10

DIstance, short term gains better than greater long term gain…Safety, avoidance of pain, greater weight given to negative, versus positive

Question 11

You are running a meeting. SEEDS

Answer 11

Simliarity, like those who are like me, scared of people that are different, Race, Sexual Identity, nationality, age.. younger,
Experience, what have I experienced?

Question 12

Activity One: Reflect on past decisions Two to three times this week, think about the decisions made in your team that may have been biased. Each time, label which SEEDS bias may have been at work

Answer 12

List

Question 13

Activity Two: Practice labeling Circle the kind of bias most likely to influence each decision

Answer 13

List

Question 14

Caring is a Shared Core Value

Answer 14

valuing differences
listening with respect to others
acting with compassion, integrity, and honesty in all situations

Question 15

Respect: 3 Simple Tips

Answer 15

1-Listen and empathize to understand others’ perspectives.

2-Strive to treat others the way they would like to be treated.

3-Encourage and appreciate others’ contributions, large or small.

Question 16

Of the 5 types of bias’s in the seeds model, which 3 will likely be involved in making people decisions?

Answer 16

SimililaritySimilarity biases arise from our intrinsic motivation to feel good about ourselves and the groups to which we
belong (Banaji & Greenwald, 2013).
DistanceDistance biases are a result of the brain’s recently discovered “proximity network,” which is sensitive to how far
away something is in distance, time or ownership. Things that are further away are unconsciously valued less
and assigned less importance.
ExpedienceExpedience biases are mental shortcuts or rules-of-thumb that help the brain arrive at quick, intuitive and efficient
decisions, based on what information is easily accessible and feels right.