Cognitive biases affect how we interpret and respond to conversation and reason together, potentially leading to flawed or irrational conclusions, but there are ways to mitigate their impact.
Introduction
Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts or tendencies that our brain uses to process information and make judgments. They can lead us to make poor decisions, overlook important details, and draw incorrect conclusions.
In addition to how we think as individuals, cognitive biases play a significant role in conversation and the way we reason together because they can influence how we interpret and respond to others’ words and actions. These biases can shape our perceptions and understanding of the conversation and lead us to draw flawed or irrational conclusions.
Tag: cognitive bias (26)
Mindsets and Cognitive Biases
Mindsets and cognitive biases are two important concepts that affect our thoughts and actions.
Our mindset is our set of beliefs and attitudes formed over many years of experience.
Cognitive biases, on the other hand, are mental shortcuts or thinking patterns that can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.
Together, our mindsets and cognitive biases play a remarkable role in how we think and behave. They are especially significant as they essentially work at a subconscious level. Understanding our individual, unique thinking patterns and biases is crucial for personal and professional development and practicing Conversational Leadership.
We are prone to many cognitive biases.
Wikipedia lists almost 200 cognitive biases; the Cognitive Bias Codex depicts many of them in a graphic format below.
Some simple examples of cognitive bias
For example, suppose we have a confirmation bias. In that case, we may only seek and pay attention to information confirming our preexisting beliefs or assumptions. We may ignore or dismiss evidence or perspectives that contradict our views. This can lead to a lack of open-mindedness and willingness to consider alternative viewpoints in the conversation.
Similarly, if we have a self-serving bias, we may attribute our successes to our abilities and efforts but our failures to external factors. This can lead to a lack of accountability and a tendency to blame others in the conversation.
Influence of various cognitive biases on conversation
Cognitive biases hinder effective communication and dialogue by limiting the diversity of perspectives and stifling critical thinking. To promote more productive and meaningful conversations, we must stay aware of and do our best to mitigate their influence.
All cognitive biases influence our ability to reason, but some are more likely to significantly impact a conversation than others. Here are a few of the more obvious ones.
| Cognitive Bias | Influence on conversation |
| Groupthink is the tendency for group members to prioritize harmony and conformity over critical thinking and independent decision-making. | Group conversations can lead to a lack of diversity in perspective and a failure to consider alternative viewpoints. I take a deeper look at groupthink here. |
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Group polarization is the tendency for group discussions to result in a more extreme version of the group’s initial position.
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Group conversations can make us more likely to express our views and less likely to express uncertainty or doubt. As a result, the group’s initial position may become more extreme over time as we are more likely to advocate for our views and less likely to consider alternative perspectives. I take a deeper look at group polarization here. |
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Social loafing is our tendency to put in less effort when working in a group than when working alone. (Strictly speaking, social loafing is not a cognitive bias, but I have included it here, given its negative impact on group conversations.)
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In group conversations, social loafing leads to fewer people actively participating and contributing their ideas and thoughts. I take a deeper look at social loafing here. |
| Reality bias is our tendency to perceive and interpret information in a way that conforms to our preexisting beliefs and assumptions about the world. | In one-to-one or group conversations, reality bias can have a significant impact by making it difficult for us to engage in productive and meaningful dialogue. We are less likely to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and more likely to become defensive or dismissive of alternative viewpoints. |
| Confirmation bias is our tendency to seek out information that confirms our preexisting beliefs or assumptions and to give more weight to that information. | In one-to-one or group conversations, confirmation bias can lead us to ignore or dismiss other people’s perspectives that contradict our views. |
| Tribal thinking is a form of cognitive bias where we subconsciously tend to conform to the beliefs and attitudes of one of our tribal groups. | In one-to-one or group conversations, tribal thinking can lead to a lack of critical thinking, an inability to consider alternative perspectives, and inter-group conflict. I have written more about tribal thinking here. |
| Anchoring bias is our tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive when making a decision or forming an opinion. | In one-to-one or group conversations, anchoring bias causes us to give undue weight to the first thing someone says, even if it is later contradicted by someone else. |
| The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an overall positive impression of a person or group influences one’s perception of that person or group in specific areas. | In one-to-one or group conversations, the halo effect causes us to form an overall positive impression of a person based on one or a few positive qualities or characteristics they possess, which can then bias our perception of what they have to say. |
| Self-serving bias is our tendency to attribute our successes to our abilities and effort but to attribute our failures to external factors. | In one-to-one or group conversations, self-serving bias can lead us to downplay our role in conflicts in the conversation and exaggerate the part of others. |
| Binary bias is the tendency to simplify complex ideas or issues into two extreme and opposing categories, ignoring nuance and diversity. | Binary bias in conversation impedes mutual understanding by categorizing views into rigid opposites. This amplifies polarization, discourages exploration of creative solutions, and corrodes empathy and curiosity, which are needed for sincere discourse. |
Mitigating the influence of cognitive biases on a conversation
There are several general things we can all do to reduce the impact of cognitive biases on our conversations, whether they are one-to-one or group conversations.
- Be aware of our biases: Recognize that we all have cognitive biases and that it is normal to have them. By being aware of our own biases, we can work to identify when they may be influencing our thinking or decision-making.
- Seek out diverse perspectives: Try to seek and consider views that differ from ours. This can help to challenge our biases and broaden our understanding of an issue.
- Think critically: Use critical thinking skills, such as asking questions, evaluating evidence, and considering alternative explanations, to help mitigate the influence of cognitive biases on our thinking.
- Encourage open-mindedness: Encourage open-mindedness and a willingness to consider alternative viewpoints in conversations. This can help to prevent the conversation from becoming overly biased or one-sided.
Credit: ChatGPT has assisted me in composing this post by acting as a thinking partner and writing assistant.
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Tags: anchoring bias (1) | availability heuristic (1) | binary bias (5) | cognitive bias (26) | confirmation bias (5) | conversation (197) | group polarization (6) | groupthink (9) | representativeness heuristic (1) | self-serving bias (1) | social loafing (6) | tribal thinking (5)
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Compared to the rest of this Blook (which is great, thank you for writing it and keeping it open, it has brought so many new perspectives in a short of amount of time!) I believe the last paragraph about “mitigating the influence…” becomes a bit bland. For me it does not feel like it adds something new and is really hard to act upon even though it’s obviously not false. I feel this of the risks of using ChatGPT that is maybe not talked about as much.
This was not meant as harsh critique, just a friendly thought on something I reacted upon while reading the text. Like I said, I really do appreciate your work, and look forward to continue diving into it (:
I fully agree, Leo. I am not fully satisfied with the ways I suggest to mitigate against conversational biases either, but it is a start.
That is why I say in the post’s status that it is work in progress, and I plan to update it.
No offence taken; I am always delighted to receive feedback and pleased you find the blook useful.