Biases
Availability Bias
Being influenced by easily accessible information, such as media reports, which can skew perception and decision-making.
Confirmation Bias
Seeking and favoring information that confirms existing beliefs, leading to closed-minded thinking.
Publication Bias
Favoring positive results over negative or inconclusive ones, creating an incomplete picture of reality.
Conformity Bias
Adjusting beliefs or behavior to align with the majority or prevailing social norms.
Peak-End Rule
Judging experiences based on their emotional peak and how they end, rather than the full experience.
Serial Position Effect
Remembering the first and last items in a sequence more than those in the middle.
Algorithmic Bias
Unintentional bias embedded in algorithms or AI systems that leads to unfair or discriminatory outcomes.
Mental Contamination Effect
Being influenced by irrelevant or intrusive thoughts that distort judgment and behavior.
Medical Bias
Research and clinical bias caused by over-reliance on WEIRD populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic).
False Consensus Effect
Overestimating how widely one’s own beliefs or opinions are shared by others.
Zeigarnik Effect
Remembering unfinished or interrupted tasks more vividly than completed ones.
Choice Paradox
Feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed when presented with too many options.
Survivorship Bias
Drawing conclusions from visible successes while ignoring unseen failures.
Contrast Effect
Evaluating something relative to what came before it rather than on its own merit.
Perception Bias
Interpreting information through personal experience and expectations, leading to distorted judgments.
Illusion of Control
Overestimating one’s ability to influence outcomes or events.
Salience Bias
Paying disproportionate attention to information that stands out or is emotionally striking.
Functional Fixedness
Failing to see alternative uses for an object beyond its traditional purpose.
Figure–Ground Subliminal Bias
Perceiving hidden or implied messages that may not actually exist.
Negativity Bias
Giving greater weight to negative experiences or information than positive ones.
Mere-Exposure Effect
Developing a preference for things simply because they are familiar.
Illusory Truth Effect
Believing information to be true due to repeated exposure rather than evidence.
Hick’s Law
Decision time increases as the number of available choices grows.
Narrative Fallacy
Constructing overly simple stories to explain complex systems or events.
Dunning–Kruger Effect
Overestimating one’s competence while underestimating the expertise of others.
In-Group Bias
Favoring people who belong to one’s own social or cultural group.
Halo Effect
Allowing one positive trait to disproportionately influence overall judgment.
Self-Serving Bias
Attributing success to personal ability and failure to external factors.
Framing Bias
Being influenced by how information is presented rather than by the information itself.
Herd Mentality Bias
Adopting beliefs or behaviors simply because others are doing so.
Social Comparison Bias
Judging oneself relative to others, often harming self-esteem and wellbeing.
Anchoring Bias
Relying too heavily on initial information when making decisions.
Affinity Bias
Preferring or favoring people who are similar to oneself.
Choice-Supportive Bias
Defending past decisions even when better alternatives exist.
Loss Aversion
Feeling losses more strongly than equivalent gains.
Scarcity Bias
Assigning greater value to things perceived as rare or limited.
End of History Illusion
Believing personal growth has largely ended and future change will be minimal.
Fundamental Attribution Error
Overemphasizing personal traits when judging others’ behavior while ignoring situational factors.
Hindsight Bias
Viewing past events as more predictable than they truly were.
Hyperbolic Discounting
Preferring immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards, even when long-term outcomes suffer.