How to Avoid Cognitive Biases
Humans have evolved to rely on small mental shortcuts in order to increase the efficiency of certain processes. These shortcuts, despite being effective in many scenarios, lead to systematic errors in our thinking process known as cognitive biases. While these unconscious mental shortcuts help us make quick decisions in a complex world, they can significantly distort our perception, memory, and judgement. Therefore when making high-level, critical decisions it is important to stop these biases from infiltrating your logic. And don’t think you’re safe because you are an expert or graduated from college, history shows that these biases affect both experts and novices alike, and trap both the “educated” and “uneducated.”
Can you completely rid your self of cognitive biases? No. But you can try to limit their hold on you by doing these 5 things:
Become aware of them - Bringing your awareness to possible biases in your logic is the first step in finding and exterminating them
Review past work to see if you were vulnerable to them - If you are lucky enough to have a paper trail of your past decisions, inspect them for lapses in logic due to cognitive biases
Get rapid feedback on decisions - getting rapid feedback on decisions is also important , so as nt to repeat mistakes. After-action reviews can be powerful learning moments
Tap into unbiased experts - Do not rely on one expert. Tap into experts with opposing views.
Encourage effective group dynamics - a group that engages in candid dialogue and vigorous debate may be less likely to be victimized by cognitive bias.
There are many cognitive biases, but here are five to become aware of today:
Confirmation Bias -the psychological tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms your preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
The Anchoring Bias - a cognitive shortcut where you rely too heavily on the first piece of information you encounter (the "anchor") when making decisions. Even if this initial data is completely arbitrary, all subsequent estimates, judgments, or negotiations are pulled toward it, skewing your objective reasoning.
Illusory Correlation - a cognitive bias where people perceive a relationship or connection between two unrelated variables or events, even when no such statistical relationship exists. It frequently plays a major role in the formation of stereotypes and superstitious beliefs.
Hindsight Bias -the psychological tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that you predicted or expected it. Often called the “knew-it-all-along” phenomenon, it occurs when current knowledge distorts your memory of past judgments, making unpredictable outcomes seem logical and obvious in retrospect
Egocentric Bias - the psychological tendency to rely too heavily on your own perspective and overestimate your role, importance, or knowledge in a given situation. It causes you to assume others share your viewpoint and naturally view the world as revolving primarily around your own experiences.
