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Cognitive sophistication does not attenuate the bias blind spot
Richard F West1, Russell J Meserve, Keith E Stanovich
1Department of Graduate Psychology, James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA. westrf@jmu.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|June 6, 2012
Summary
People recognize cognitive biases in others more easily than in themselves, a phenomenon known as the bias blind spot. This bias persists even in highly intelligent individuals and doesn't prevent actual biased thinking.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- The bias blind spot describes the tendency to perceive cognitive biases as more prevalent in others than in oneself.
- Previous research primarily focused on social biases, leaving the prevalence of bias blind spots in classic cognitive biases under-explored.
- Recognizing bias in others is often easier than detecting it in one's own judgments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and replicability of bias blind spots for classic cognitive biases.
- To examine whether cognitive sophistication, such as cognitive ability or thinking dispositions, attenuates the bias blind spot.
- To determine if awareness of the bias blind spot correlates with an ability to avoid cognitive biases.
Main Methods:
- Two empirical studies were conducted to assess bias blind spots.
- Participants' judgments were evaluated for various classic cognitive biases.
- Measures of cognitive ability and thinking dispositions were administered to assess cognitive sophistication.
Main Results:
- Replicable bias blind spots were observed across numerous classic cognitive biases.
- Bias blind spots were not reduced by measures of cognitive sophistication; higher cognitive ability correlated with a larger bias blind spot.
- Freedom from the bias blind spot did not predict an individual's ability to avoid actual cognitive biases.
Conclusions:
- The bias blind spot is a robust phenomenon extending to classic cognitive biases, not limited to social judgments.
- Cognitive sophistication does not mitigate the bias blind spot and may even exacerbate it.
- Awareness of the bias blind spot is distinct from the capacity to avoid cognitive biases, suggesting complex underlying cognitive processes.
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