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Cognitive Bias Index

Popular

Biases

  • Actor-Observer Bias

    Need to Act Fast
    Personality, Influence

    Description

    The tendency for explanations of other individuals’ behaviors to overemphasize the influence of their personality and underemphasize the influence of their situation (see also Fundamental attribution error), and for explanations of one’s own behaviors to do the opposite (that is, to overemphasize the influence of our situation and underemphasize the influence of our own personality).

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-actor-observer-bias-2794813
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor-observer_bias

  • Ambiguity Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Probability, Avoidance

    Description

    The tendency to avoid options for which the probability of a favorable outcome is unknown.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambiguity_effect

  • Anchoring Effect

    Too Much Information
    Decision Making, Reasoning

    Description

    The tendency to rely too heavily, or ‘anchor’, on one trait or piece of information when making decisions (usually the first piece of information acquired on that subject).

    Futher Reading

    • https://uxdesign.cc/cognitive-bias-in-ux-the-user-side-and-the-designer-side-6f6ae0185779
    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-anchoring-bias-2795029
    • https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_(cognitive_bias)

  • Anecdotal Fallacy

    Not Enough Meaning
    Experience, Evidence

    Description

    The tendency to use personal experience or an isolated example instead of a sound argument or compelling evidence.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

  • Anthropomorphism

    Not Enough Meaning
    Personification, Perception

    Description

    The tendency to characterize animals, objects, and abstract concepts as possessing human-like traits, emotions, and intentions.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphism#Psychology_of_Anthropomorphism

  • Appeal to Novelty

    Need to Act Fast
    Fallacy

    Description

    A fallacy in which one prematurely claims that an idea or proposal is correct or superior, exclusively because it is new and modern.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_novelty

  • Appeal to Probability

    Not Enough Meaning
    Probability, Fallacy

    Description

    The logical fallacy of taking something for granted because it would probably be the case (or might possibly be the case).

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_probability

  • Attentional Bias

    Too Much Information
    Perception, Frequency

    Description

    The tendency of perception to be affected by recurring thoughts.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-attentional-bias-2795027
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attentional_bias

  • Authority Bias

    Not Enough Meaning
    Attribution, Authority

    Description

    The tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinion of an authority figure (unrelated to its content) and be more influenced by that opinion.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority_bias

  • Automation Bias

    Not Enough Meaning
    Automation, Decision Making

    Description

    The tendency to depend excessively on automated systems which can lead to erroneous automated information overriding correct decisions.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation_bias

  • Availability Heuristic

    Too Much Information
    Memory, Evaluation

    Description

    A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person’s mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/availability-heuristic-2794824
    • https://blog.usejournal.com/most-common-cognitive-biases-visualised-explained-ad94574f8054
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic

  • Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

    Too Much Information
    Attention, Frequency

    Description

    The illusion where something that has recently come to one’s attention suddenly seems to appear with improbable frequency shortly afterwards.

    Futher Reading

    • https://dqydj.com/baader-meinhof-phenomenon-frequency-bias/

  • Backfire Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Evidence, Belief

    Description

    The reaction to disconfirming evidence by strengthening one’s previous beliefs.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backfire_effect

  • Bandwagon Effect

    Not Enough Meaning
    Group, Belief

    Description

    The tendency to do (or believe) things because many other people do (or believe) the same. Related to groupthink and herd behavior.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect

  • Barnum Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Personality, Acceptance

    Description

    The observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them, but are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. This effect can provide a partial explanation for the widespread acceptance of some beliefs and practices, such as astrology, fortune telling, graphology, and some types of personality tests.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnum_effect

  • Base Rate Fallacy

    Not Enough Meaning
    Fallacy, Focus

    Description

    The tendency to ignore general information and focus on information only pertaining to the specific case, even when the general information is more important.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_rate_fallacy

  • Belief Bias

    Need to Act Fast
    Evaluation

    Description

    An effect where someone’s evaluation of the logical strength of an argument is biased by the believability of the conclusion.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief_bias

  • Bias Blind Spot

    Too Much Information
    Identify

    Description

    The tendency to see oneself as less biased than other people, or to be able to identify more cognitive biases in others than in oneself.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_blind_spot

  • Bizarreness Effect

    Too Much Information
    Memory

    Description

    Bizarre material is better remembered than common material.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarreness_effect

  • Cheerleader Effect

    Not Enough Meaning
    Group, Attractiveness

    Description

    The tendency for people to appear more attractive in a group than in isolation.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerleader_effect

  • Choice Supportive Bias

    Too Much Information
    Selection, Options

    Description

    The tendency to retroactively ascribe positive attributes to an option one has selected and/or to demote the forgone options.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choice-supportive_bias

  • Clustering Illusion

    Not Enough Meaning
    Pattern

    Description

    The tendency to overestimate the importance of small runs, streaks, or clusters in large samples of random data (that is, seeing phantom patterns).

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clustering_illusion

  • Confabulation

    Not Enough Meaning
    Memory, Misinterpretation

    Description

    A memory error defined as the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confabulation

  • Confirmation Bias

    Too Much Information
    Research, Belief, Reasoning, Interpretation

    Description

    The tendency to search for, interpret, focus on and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.antonsten.com/confirmation-bias/
    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024
    • https://www.kooslooijesteijn.net/blog/design-better-avoiding-cognitive-biases
    • https://medium.muz.li/6-common-cognitive-biases-uxers-should-know-750b8c7af1a8
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

  • Congruence Bias

    Too Much Information
    Research, Hypothesis

    Description

    The tendency of people to over-rely on testing their initial hypothesis (the most congruent one) while neglecting to test alternative hypotheses.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congruence_bias

  • Conjunction Fallacy

    Need to Act Fast
    Perception, Probability

    Description

    The tendency to assume that specific conditions are more probable than a more general version of those same conditions. For example, subjects in one experiment perceived the probability of a woman being both a bank teller and a feminist as more likely than the probability of her being a bank teller.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjunction_fallacy

  • Conservatism Bias

    Not Enough Meaning
    Belief, Evidence

    Description

    The tendency to revise one’s belief insufficiently when presented with new evidence.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_%28belief_revision%29

  • Consistency Bias

    Not Enough Meaning
    Memory

    Description

    Incorrectly remembering one’s past attitudes and behaviour as resembling present attitudes and behaviour.

    Futher Reading

    • https://fs.blog/2016/08/commitment-consistency-bias/
    • https://uxdesign.cc/deadly-biases-every-designer-needs-to-live-with-94a3ac519c99

  • Context Effect

    Too Much Information
    Memory, Recall, Context

    Description

    Cognition and memory are dependent on context, such that out-of-context memories are more difficult to retrieve than in-context memories (e.g., recall time and accuracy for a work-related memory will be lower at home, and vice versa).

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue-dependent_forgetting

  • Continued Influence Effect

    Too Much Information
    Belief, Misinformation, Influence

    Description

    The tendency to believe previously learned misinformation even after it has been corrected. Misinformation can still influence inferences one generates after a correction has occurred.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continued_influence_effect

  • Contrast Effect

    Too Much Information
    Perception, Contrast

    Description

    The enhancement or reduction of a certain stimulus’ perception when compared with a recently observed, contrasting object.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_effect

  • Cross-Race Effect

    Not Enough Meaning
    Race, Identity

    Description

    The tendency for people of one race to have difficulty identifying members of a race other than their own.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-race_effect

  • Cryptomnesia

    What Should We Remember?
    Misattribution

    Description

    A form of misattribution where a memory is mistaken for imagination, because there is no subjective experience of it being a memory.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomnesia

  • Curse of Knowledge

    Not Enough Meaning
    Perspective

    Description

    When better-informed people find it extremely difficult to think about problems from the perspective of lesser-informed people.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_knowledge

  • Declinism

    Not Enough Meaning
    Predisposition, Negativity

    Description

    The predisposition to view the past favorably (rosy retrospection) and future negatively.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declinism

  • Decoy Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Preference

    Description

    Preferences for either option A or B change in favor of option B when option C is presented, which is completely dominated by option B (inferior in all respects) and partially dominated by option A.

    Futher Reading

    • https://uxdesign.cc/ux-psychology-2-increasing-conversions-with-the-decoy-effect-272500321df7
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect

  • Defensive Attribution Hypothesis

    Need to Act Fast
    Attribution, Hypothesis

    Description

    Attributing more blame to a harm-doer as the outcome becomes more severe or as personal or situational similarity to the victim increases.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_attribution_hypothesis

  • Denomination Effect

    Not Enough Meaning
    Money

    Description

    The tendency to spend more money when it is denominated in small amounts (e.g., coins) rather than large amounts (e.g., bills).

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denomination_effect

  • Disposition Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Value

    Description

    The tendency to sell an asset that has accumulated in value and resist selling an asset that has declined in value.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposition_effect

  • Distinction Bias

    Too Much Information
    Perception, Evaluation

    Description

    The tendency to view two options as more dissimilar when evaluating them simultaneously than when evaluating them separately.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinction_bias

  • Dunning Kruger Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Estimation, Ability

    Description

    The tendency for unskilled individuals to overestimate their own ability and the tendency for experts to underestimate their own ability.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740
    • https://www.kooslooijesteijn.net/blog/design-better-avoiding-cognitive-biases
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

  • Duration Neglect

    What Should We Remember?
    Duration, Value

    Description

    The neglect of the duration of an episode in determining its value.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duration_neglect

  • Egocentric Bias

    Need to Act Fast
    Responsibility

    Description

    Occurs when people claim more responsibility for themselves for the results of a joint action than an outside observer would credit them with.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egocentric_bias

  • Endowment Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Demand

    Description

    The tendency for people to demand much more to give up an object than they would be willing to pay to acquire it.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endowment_effect

  • Extrinsic Incentives Bias

    Not Enough Meaning
    Attribution

    Description

    An exception to the fundamental attribution error, when people view others as having (situational) extrinsic motivations and (dispositional) intrinsic motivations for oneself.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrinsic_incentives_bias

  • Fading Affect Bias

    What Should We Remember?
    Emotion, Memory

    Description

    A bias in which the emotion associated with unpleasant memories fades more quickly than the emotion associated with positive events.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fading_affect_bias

  • False Consensus Effect

    Need to Act Fast
    Estimation

    Description

    The tendency for people to overestimate the degree to which others agree with them.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-false-consensus-effect-2795030
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_consensus_effect

  • False Memory

    What Should We Remember?
    Misattribution, Memory

    Description

    A form of misattribution where imagination is mistaken for a memory.

    Futher Reading

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confabulation

  • Framing Effect

    Too Much Information
    Belief, Reasoning

    Description

    Drawing different conclusions from the same information, depending on how that information is presented.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.nngroup.com/articles/decision-framing-cognitive-bias-ux-pros/
    • https://dscout.com/people-nerds/cognitive-biases-user-research
    • https://blog.usejournal.com/most-common-cognitive-biases-visualised-explained-ad94574f8054
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_effect_(psychology)

  • Functional Fixedness

    Not Enough Meaning
    Tradition

    Description

    Limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.

    Futher Reading

    • https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-functional-fixedness-2795484
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_fixedness
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