Bias

By understanding the vast biases that can influence our judgment, we can become more aware of its limitations and use it in conjunction with critical thinking to make sound decisions.

Values inform bias. The values are much like your core beliefs and your bias is like preference. Values stand alone because they're elements that don't change a lot based on situations, as it takes a lot of effort-education and growth experiences to shape a set of values that matters to you; in fact, value is part of who you are, and what you think -right or wrong. We are all imperfect human beings, so we all have certain biases based on our cognitive spectrum, life experiences, common sense, etc. Some biases could distort our judgment.

 In order to make better decisions, it is much easier to focus on managing bias rather than trying to eliminate it. Here's a deeper dive into the vast biases that can creep into our intuitive thinking:

Confirmation Bias: This bias leads us to favor information that confirms our existing beliefs and downplay or ignore evidence that contradicts them. Our intuition might latch onto details that seemingly support what we already think, leading to biased conclusions.

Anchoring Bias: The first piece of information we encounter can anchor our thinking, influencing our subsequent judgments. Our initial gut feeling based on limited information can become the anchor, basing our interpretation of later details. Also, we tend to judge the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind. If something is more memorable or has been highlighted recently, our intuition might overestimate its actual probability.

Group-thinking Bias: "Group Thinking" or homogeneous thinking is another thinking pattern that follows the crowd. We tend to favor those we perceive as similar to ourselves, leading to biased intuition when evaluating people or situations involving in-groups and out-groups. Our intuition might favor those we identify with, overlooking potential shortcomings. From the variety of industry studies, group polarization means that a group of people can make a more extreme decision than an individual. Unfortunately, it usually amplifies their bias due to homogeneous group settings or peer pressures.

Low EQ Bias: Our emotions can significantly color our intuition. Fear, anger, or excitement can cloud our judgment and lead us to make decisions based on emotional responses rather than objective reasoning. It’s crucial to improve EQ, with the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like critical thinking for making sound judgments and improving decision-making skills.

Cultural Bias: Cultural norms and values can shape our intuition. What might seem like a good "gut feeling" in one culture could be entirely different in another. A good culture requires respect, responsibility, self-discipline, autonomy, and purpose; contrast that with a typical negative culture, with traits such as bureaucracy, command-control, mistrust, overly rigid hierarchy, etc. Culture is invisible; but an important factor for organizational success or societal progress. So it’s important to recognize cultural bias and improve judgmental objectivity.

Still, bias can change with a compelling case, there are different approaches for mitigating biases in decision-making:

-Be aware of your biases: Recognizing that biases exist is the first step towards mitigating their influence.

-Seek out diverse perspectives: Talk to people with different backgrounds and listen to their gut feelings about a situation. This can help to challenge your own biases and broaden your understanding.

-Gather evidence: Don't rely solely on your intuition. Actively seek out facts and data to support or refute your initial hunch. Reflect on your past experiences and identify situations where your intuition might have been skewed.

-Self-reflect: Don't rush into decisions based solely on your gut feeling. Take time to think critically and analyze the situation logically before acting.

By understanding the vast biases that can influence our judgment, we can become more aware of its limitations and use it in conjunction with critical thinking to make sound decisions.

Posted in: Decision Making,Digital Pitfalls