Cognitive Biases

Cognitive biases affect:

• Academic Work: Study habits, research methods, confidence levels 

• Daily Decisions: Course selection, time management, relationships

• Information Processing: News consumption, source evaluation, opinion formation

The Goal:

You can't eliminate biases (nor should you try). Instead, learn to recognize when slowing down and thinking more carefully would lead to better decisions.

The Roberts et al. (2020) study on racial inequality in psychological research found that the field itself had a systemic bias, leading to a lack of published research on race. The study highlighted how non racialized editorship and authorship contributed to a preference for research that did not focus on race, and a tendency to use caucasian participants. This demonstrates how cognitive biases can exist not just on an individual level but can also become part of an entire system, affecting what knowledge is created and shared.

Key Takeaways

• Everyone has cognitive biases - they're normal and often helpful

• Awareness is the first step to better decision-making

• The goal isn't perfect thinking, it's better thinking

• Cultural backgrounds may influence how biases appear, but the core strategies work universally

Confirmation bias means we only look for information that agrees with what we already think. We ignore information that disagrees with us.

How This Affects Students

• School Work: Only using sources and quotes that agree with your ideas, not reading research that disagrees with you

• Social Media & Choices: Only following people who think like you, sharing news without checking if it's true

• Working in Groups: Only listening to people who agree with you, not hearing different ideas

Look for Different Ideas

• For every source that agrees with you, find one that disagrees

• Read news from different places that are trustworthy

Question Your Own Ideas

• Before making big choices, ask: "Am I wrong about this?" and "What facts would make me change my mind?"

Check Your Facts

• Use many different sources and check who wrote the information (e.g., a reputable news site vs. a Tik Tok video)

Be Okay with Being Wrong

• It's good to change your mind when you learn new things

• School Projects: Starting assignments the night before they're due, thinking "I can finish this quickly"

• Study Time: Planning to study for 2 hours but needing 4 hours to actually learn the material

• Daily Schedule: Packing too many activities into one day and running late for everything

Add Extra Time and Break Tasks Down

• Whatever time you think you need, add 50% more (if you think 2 hours, plan for 3 hours)

• Write down each step needed and guess how long each small step will take

Plan for Problems

• Expect that some things will go wrong or take longer than expected

Quick Questions to Ask Yourself

• How long did similar tasks take me before?

• What could go wrong or slow me down?

• Am I being realistic about my time?

Remember: Good planning means expecting things to take longer than you first think.

• School Activities: Staying in clubs or sports you don't enjoy because you already spent time joining them

• Study Methods: Keep using study techniques that don't work because you spent time learning them

• Relationships: Staying in unhealthy friendships because you've been friends for a long time

Focus on the Future, Not the Past

• Ask: "What choice is best for me going forward?" instead of "How much have I already invested?"

Set Clear Stop Points

• Before starting something, decide when you will quit if it's not working

• Write down your limits: "If I'm still struggling after 3 weeks of tutoring, I'll try a different approach"

Get Outside Opinions

• Ask friends or family what they would do if they were starting fresh with your situation

Remember: Past Time is Gone

• Time, money, and effort you already spent cannot be gotten back, so don't let them control future decisions

Quick Questions to Ask Yourself

• If I were starting this decision today, what would I choose?

• Am I continuing this because it's good for me, or because I already invested in it?

• What would I tell a friend to do in my situation?

Remember: The best time to make a change is when you realize the current path isn't working - no matter how much you've already invested.