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Cognitive Biases and Their Impact - 18 (False Consensus Effect)

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False Consensus Effect The term "False Consensus Effect" was first introduced by Lee Ross and his colleagues in a 1977 study. They conducted a series of experiments where participants were asked to read about situations in which a conflict occurred and then to estimate the popularity of their own responses among other people. Consistently, they found that participants overestimated the extent to which others shared their opinions and behaviours, a phenomenon they labelled the "false consensus effect." "The False Consensus Effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when individuals overestimate the extent to which their beliefs, opinions, preferences, values, and habits are normal and typical of those of others. Essentially, it is the tendency to assume that others share the same or similar views, behaviours, and attitudes as oneself. This bias leads people to believe that their own personal qualities, characteristics, beliefs, and actions are relatively widespread

Cognitive Biases and Their Impact - 17 (Authority Bias)

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Authority Bias The discovery and understanding of authority bias have evolved over time, primarily through social psychology research. While it is challenging to pinpoint a single individual who 'discovered' authority bias, the concept gained significant attention through the work of Stanley Milgram in the 1960s. Milgram's famous obedience experiments, where participants were instructed to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks to another person, dramatically demonstrated how people are willing to follow orders from an authority figure, even when these orders conflict with their personal conscience. Authority bias is a cognitive bias that leads individuals to attribute greater accuracy, credibility, and worth to the opinions, suggestions, or orders of individuals in positions of authority, even when there are clear indications that these authorities might be wrong or lack evidence-based rationale. This bias reflects the human tendency to conform to those