In a very interesting article, George Dvorsky describes 12 cognitive biases that cause us to make questionable decisions and draw the wrong conclusion in many cases. How can this be? We are highly evolved, highly intelligent people. Yet, Dvorsky describes 12 ways that these biases lead us to make bad choices.
Dvorsky states, “Before we start, it’s important to distinguish between cognitive biases and logical fallacies. A logical fallacy is an error in logical argumentation (e.g. ad hominem attacks, slippery slopes, circular arguments, appeal to force, etc.). A cognitive bias, on the other hand, is a genuine deficiency or limitation in our thinking — a flaw in judgment that arises from errors of memory, social attribution, and miscalculations (such as statistical errors or a false sense of probability).”
He then moves into the main discussion into these 12 cognitive biases:
- Confirmation Bias
- In Group Bias
- Gambler’s Fallacy
- Post-Purchase Rationalization (My favorite)
- Neglecting Probability
- Observational Selection Bias (This is where the “God confirmed so and so to me” comes from.)
- Status Quo Bias
- Negativity Bias (FoxNews corners the market on this one!)
- Bandwagon Effect
- Projection Bias
- The Current Moment Bias (Mmmm, chocolate)
- Anchoring Effect
I found the article to be quite informative and to explain some of my behaviors, especially when it comes to chocolate!
You can read the entire article at io9. “The 12 Cognitive Biases that Prevent You from Being Rational”
sounds like a cool read.