Overcoming Unconscious Biases

 Do not always follow the conventional wisdom or preconceived opinions; be an independent and critical thinker.

Biases and stereotyping are how we as humans cope with larger numbers of other humans than we could ever know. Unconscious biases are systematic errors in reasoning that occur due to subjective perceptions of reality. 

These biases are often the result of mental shortcuts, or heuristics, that the mind uses to quickly process information. Because these biases operate at a subconscious level, they can be difficult to recognize and address.

-Halo Effect: The tendency for a single positive trait to influence a person’s impression of someone as a whole.

-Confirmation Bias: The tendency to look for and interpret information that confirms existing beliefs, while ignoring or downplaying contradictory evidence. For example, if someone believes that a particular political party is incompetent, they may only seek out news articles that highlight the party's failures.

-Implicit Bias: Biases that affect how individuals perceive another person’s social characteristics, such as gender and race.

-Hindsight Bias: The tendency to see events as more predictable than they were before they happened. For example, thinking that a successful investment was due to skill rather than chance after the fact.

-Anchoring Bias: The tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions. 

-Overgeneralization: Drawing broad conclusions based on limited evidence. 

-Ageism: Discrimination or prejudice against an individual based on their age. This can manifest as stereotypes about older people being mentally diminished or physically frail.

-Horizontal Discrimination: Also known as occupational segregation, this occurs when men and women work in occupational fields that are dominated by one gender. 

 Often, people have an unconscious bias, while they themselves are also the victims of the bias. Therefore, it is important to practice, practice, and practice more on how to think deeply and make sound judgments in building a healthy working environment and improving business effectiveness and maturity. 

Do not always follow the conventional wisdom or preconceived opinions; be an independent and critical thinker without being excessively critical, in order to make sound judgment and shape a more advanced human society. 

Posted in: Digital Pitfalls,GAPs