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This is cool, although the real trick is knowing when and how to employ methods that will mitigate the problems caused by cognitive bias to accurately identify
by Goladus 10y ago
This is cool, although the real trick is knowing when and how to employ methods that will mitigate the problems caused by cognitive bias to accurately identify and resolve conflicts and facilitate clear decision-making. This is the purpose of courts, the purpose of peer review, the purpose of debate.
Generally, it is not necessary to understand every single type of cognitive bias in a nuanced way to mitigate the problems. Indeed, sometimes cognitive biases overlap to the extent that trying to mitigate one, you'll wind up affected by another. What's important is that your behavior and social rules be oriented towards uncovering truth through dialectic methods.
Jonathan Haidt, a moral psychologist, recently posted a terrific video on the the issue viewpoint diversity on college campuses-- specifically, the lack of it. Problems of confirmation bias are exaggerated, especially in social sciences, when there's a lack of viewpoint diversity on campus. When everyone likes the conclusions put forth by a paper, no one is motivated to find the flaws. Thus the flaws are not found, the flawed papers get cited by other papers, and you wind up with a knowledge base that is increasingly divorced from reality. Whether you know the name for that bias or not is less relevant than actually addressing the structural problems.
- the_duck 10y agoCan you share a link to the video?
- pugio 10y agoHe's spoken about it in a number of forums, take your pick: http://righteousmind.com/viewpoint-diversity/ http://righteousmind.com/viewpoint-diversity/ (near the bottom).
- Goladus 10y agoHere's the one I referenced: http://heterodoxacademy.org/2016/10/21/one-telos-truth-or-social-justice/ http://heterodoxacademy.org/2016/10/21/one-telos-truth-or-so... Telos, incidentally, I consider to be a very fascinating and important concept, though only tangentially relevant to this thread.
- davemel37 10y agoI would agree. For me, the most important thing to know is that there are biases that could be impacting me and to always leave room for a) a competing viewpoint can be sincerely held and possibly correct over the viewpoint I am convinced of, and b) to always ask myself if there is a self interested reason I want the belief I hold to be true. Many biases cannot be overcome even with knowing about them... but accepting that it's possible I'm wrong and that the crazy guy on the other side is both sincere in his competing belief and possibly correct, allows me to evolve and learn and ultimately get along with more people. I have some strongly held beliefs and opinions...But I try to keep my mind open and without considering cognitive biases, you are going to be more close minded than you should be in most cases.
- Goladus 10y agobut accepting that it's possible I'm wrong and that the crazy guy on the other side is both sincere in his competing belief and possibly correct, allows me to evolve and learn and ultimately get along with more people. As often as not you're both right but simply have different or conflicting priorities
- davemel37 10y agoVery True. I would add that conflicting priorities and/or conflicting preconceptions. In other words, conflicting priorities reflects bias in general, but cognitive bias could be independent of self interest priorities and simply be about a different preconceived perception, frame or foundation.
- carsongross 10y agoThis is the purpose of courts, the purpose of peer review, the purpose of debate. Ideally. But keep in mind: not for everyone, and it would be in the interests of those primarily concerned with power and manipulation to convince those concerned with truth and the greater good that this is the case.
- Goladus 10y agoI'd agree, in fact I'd say that in many cases finding the truth is not the first priority of most individual participants in those systems. That's why they're systems, and that's why concepts like integrity are so important and why the commitment to truth, honesty, and sincerity must be constantly reinforced.
- adamweld 10y agoIf you are interested in learning how your brain makes decisions, where biases and error come from, and a whole lot more, I highly recommend this book by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/ref=sr_1_1 https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... Interestingly, he won his nobel prize in the field of economics, but he's a psychologist, not an economist. His research was so influential that it changed business strategies (esp. around how meetings are held) forever. I can't say enough good things about Thinking Fast and Slow. Go read it. I posted this article in reply to another comment in this thread, but I think many will find it interesting and useful. It's a good jumping off point into his research and why it's important. http://www.newyorker.com/tech/frontal-cortex/why-smart-people-are-stupid http://www.newyorker.com/tech/frontal-cortex/why-smart-peopl...
- deegles 10y agoDo you have any examples around how meetings have changed? I'll need to relay that information promptly...
- dfabulich 10y agohttp://juanreyero.com/article/technology/meetings.html http://juanreyero.com/article/technology/meetings.html "The principle of independent judgments (and decorrelated errors) has immediate applications for the conduct of meetings, an activity in which executives in organizations spend a great deal of their working days. A simple rule can help: before an issue is discussed, all members of the committee should be asked to write a very brief summary of their position. This procedure makes good use of the value of the diversity of knowledge and opinion in the group. The standard practice of open discussion gives too much weight to the opinions of those who speak early and assertively, causing others to line up behind them." (Following this advice is rare; I think it's bold to say that Kahneman's research has already changed meetings.)
- BeetleB 10y ago>Jonathan Haidt, a moral psychologist, recently posted a terrific video on the the issue viewpoint diversity on college campuses-- specifically, the lack of it. As someone who just finished reading his book, I must ask for clarification. Is he talking about lack of diversity in the student body, or in the faculty body? I know he has published work showing a bias against conservatives in his field...
- Goladus 10y agoI believe it was faculty bias that was implied with regards to the point about disconfirmation. He did point to statistics showing that liberal bias has been present in universities for quite some time, but that until 1990 it seemed to remain at a steady 4:1 ratio or so. But that in the last 25 years, that ratio has become much more skewed. Up to 67:1 in some fields.