"KNOW YOUR SELF AND UNDERSTAND THE OTHERS"

How we perceive the world around us and act is influenced by our values, attitudes and believes, societal norms, and our personality. Besides other factors as is our position in the certain situation (are we teacher or student, or manager or technician…), physical a genetic predispositions and so on.

Basically we act based on our interpretation of the world around us (our rational and emotional response) rather than in reaction to the world itself.

If the way we perceive the world around us and our decisions is influenced by factors that we are not aware of, how could we make conscious and responsible decisions? So to understand our selves and others is important as we want to be free about the choices we make so that our decisions are directed towards fulfilling our basic human needs as to have joyful and fulfilling life (for more explanation see Emphatic communication below).

Responsible decision is, as we would define it, a decision that is based on relevant information available (evidence based or information informed decision) and decision that leads to fulfilment of our needs (see below). By decision we (in the context of this Methodology) understand actually any “decision” that is behind that we do something: act, interpret data or respond to a situation in certain way (externally and internally). In this sense the “decision” does not have to be fully or at all rational. As rationality is only one component for our decision making and if we would limit term “decision” only to rational decision making than we would have no decision at the end actually fulfilling such a definition.

Let´s take a look at some of the most common and for our purposes useful to know and be able to recognize biases:

Confirmation Bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions. That means orienting ourselves to receive, perceive and interpret information in a way that is confirming our “current selves” (our believes, our conceptions of the topic, our mental models, our desires, our status, our behavior, our likes, our attitude etc.). Basically it is about receiving and/or interpreting information that supports one's position on an issue. It allows us to conclude that our views are correct but may often obscure reality as we do not see thinks as they are but as we want them to be.

In a broad sense we might to some extend argue that all biases are just different manifestation of   confirmation based. That all biases actually “serve” us to defend our current self (as we perceive our self or want to be perceived by others). WHAT YOU IDENTIFY WITH you defend it as being it your self.

Confirmation bias is closely connected with the need to be accepted that is manifested in strive for validating and identity (to belong somewhere). As we can see with “conspiracy theories” or strong identity mindsets (see Module 4), the more people have invested into building their personality around particular role in society or world view, the harder it is for them to see from possible different perspective, point of view.

Very important role and let´s say magnifier in supporting confirmation bias are in the society playing the social media. The algorithms of social medial are designed to promote to us what we already like or is in favor of our world view. To overcome this we have to invest in deliberate action to search for alternatives (see the Module 2 for details).

Where confirmation bias leads us to:

·         We look up information that confirms our point of view (selective exposure)

-        We are looking up for information close to and confirming our point of view

-        We are letting the algorithms of social media present us with information that only confirms our point of view [1]

-        Individuals strongly committed to certain religions often avoid contact with information or people that can “tempt them away” from their doctrine

·         We perceive information in a way that confirms our point of view (we might see or hear only some parts of the story/information presented and ignore the part that does not fit to our conception)

-        It is quite important to understand that due to confirmation bias we are not even confronted with other opinion or information contradicting our point of view (we just do not see it even when it is presented to us)

·         It supports our point of view as we are not deliberately (but unconsciously) confronted with other views

·         We interpret information to favor our point of view

-        Questioning without reason or by unsupported rationalization (note that rationalization plays important role in confirmation bias)

-        It might be by neglecting or relativize the information contradicting our point of view

·         As consequence we come with judgements that are based on perception and interpretation of obscure reality

-        Such judgement would not lead us to responsible decision and action that is adequate reaction (response) to the situation and thus would not in essence lead to fulfilling our true needs

What to do to avoid confirmation bias:

  Be aware of the confirmation bias

-        See for example that you take for granted (without assessment) information that confirms your point of view and on the other site what effort you will do to assess and possibly “prove wrong” information that is against your views

  Asses all information equally

  Make deliberate effort to look for information (evidence) favoring different perspectives

[1] Cited from: Feeling validated versus being correct: a meta-analysis of selective exposure to information

Fundamental attribution error is when a person attributes someone´s behavior to some feature of the person´s personality instead of the situation/context the person is in. Mostly it will be connected with a projection from our side based on our assumptions about the person (so to confirm our attitude toward the person).

What to do to avoid fundamental attribution error:

  Be aware of the Fundamental attribution error bias

-        Do I project my attitude toward the person to explain his/her actions

  Consider the environment might cause a particular behavior of the person

-        See and understand the situation the person is in first before you interpret his/her actions

Blind spot bias is when we recognize biases in others but fail to see them in your selves. We tend to think that we are less likely to be biased than others [1].

If you see (or think you see) biases in others but fall short to see your own than it is more than likely that what you think you see are just your projections and confirmation bias talking.

What to do to avoid blind spot bias:

  Acknowledge that we are all (and I am also) biased  to some extend

  It is good to see that and how other people are biased but if you do not see your own biases than your perception of others could be no more than your own biased opinion

-        Understand yourself, we should be primarily reflective of our own behavior

  Always ask yourself and understand  your perspective on the topic only than you can see how this is influencing your perception and judgement

[1] For more about blind spot bias see: Researchers Find Everyone Has a Bias Blind Spot

Anchoring bias is a tendency to rely too heavily or by be influenced by either pre-existing information or the first piece of information or some concept or approach (the anchor). As if the first information serves as the anchor for our further action, research. This information is (unconsciously) connected to some initial exiting or tempting idea or connected to my point of view (see confirmation bias).

Note that this may lead us to on a path with either dead end (and we waste lot of energy without relevant outcome) or might with connection of confirmation bias lead into development of “conspiracy theory”.  You can imagine a detective obsessively following the one clue that does not lead to anything significant at the end or leads to a false accusation of someone.

From methodological perspective, anchoring could be leaning on an approach (method) that is in principal wrong or not suitable for dealing with the research topic (see Module 3 Designing research).

What to do to avoid anchoring bias:

  Do not get stick with one evidence. (Try to) see the issue from different perspectives

  Look up for other evidence and asses the one you have

  Do not lean on an approach (method) just in principle. See the purpose of the research and use adequate method for it (see Module 3)

Projection bias is to hold an implicit assumption that others think, believe, or know the same as we do. It is about not recognizing the others as individuals with their own personality, values and believes.  Projection bias is basically overestimating or believing in the normality of our beliefs. It is actually a perception where we make a “universal” norm out of our current situation, self.

Projection bias is connected with low empathy.  And It is quite interesting that projection bias is also connected with low empathy to our future self. That means to tend to believe that we will think, feel, and act the same in the future as we do now. This can be seen in behavior that emphasize importance of something now that does actually have no value in the long run.

What to do to avoid projection bias:

  Acknowledge that things does not have to be as I have them right or can imagine them right now

  Work on your emphatic with others

  Do not project your own toughs and believes as explanation of others action

  DO NOT make out of your own toughs and believes universally valid norms that should be applied to others

Representativeness bias is a tendency to judge the likelihood of a hypothesis by quantity of the available data that resembles it.

This is to some extend also done in scientific journals particularly in meta-analysis and systemic reviews. Outcome like 8 studies favor the argument A and only two studies favor argument B so the A is correct should not be considered as relevant as we should not vote about the “truth” but we should see the real evidence and if this is really providing coherent explanation (see more in the Module 4) Making sense of information.

What to do to avoid projection bias:

  We should not vote about the “truth” by quantity of information or number of articles or experts that favors certain point of view.         

-        There should be evidence provided and the evidence should make up coherent explanation

  Look for evidence and coherent explanation (see Module 4)

Availability bias is that we are influenced by information that is readily available to us. This is something that we cannot actually avoid as we are all the time exposed to information favoring some point of view. For example see the news about the world and compare it to the real world “out there”.

What to do to avoid projection bias:

  Be aware that we are exposed to only certain type of information

  Be aware that we always have limited information about the issue

-        Is it enough to formulate responsible decision (see Module 3 about how to collect relevant data and information a Module 4 How to make sense of information)

There are much more biases that could be described and we encourage you to further search on your own. But with the above ones we should have a solid basis for our purposes in connection to understand others (Activity 2), designing research (Activity 3) and making sense of data and information (Activity 4).

There has been effort and research looking and assessing possibilities how to deliberately reduce biases. Research [1] is showing positive impact of specifically designed computer games, videos [2] or training for debasing although it is always quite questionable how to actually measure reduction of bias.

Based on one meta-analysis we can summarize motivations to defend our point of view (confirmation bias) and motivation for nonbiased decision making (accuracy motivation):[3]

• Motivation for defensive approach (getting hard to avoid confirmation bias):

-        attachment or loyalty to a view (value-relevant involvement)

-        when people who just reported an attitude or belief, or engaged in a behavior, receive challenging (vs. supporting) information (this makes people to get  into defensive state)

-        presence of apparently high-quality information that supports their point of view

-        personal commitment as feeling highly attached to a view (sacrificing for the view, dedicating much time or effort to make a decision, freely choosing the view, explaining the view publicly)

-        “closed-minded individuals”

• Motivation for accuracy (nonbiased decision making):

-        outcome-relevant involvement (as opposite to value-relevant involvement)

-        information utility as the extent to which information can be used to facilitate good decisions

From the practical point of view for debasing to by effective is to:

-        receive information about biases (get to know we are prone to them) (in form of training, video game or instructional video)

-        know my self – promoting self-reflection and open-mindedness

-        invest cognitive resources in making decisions (to overcome biases, investing deliberate effort is necessary) therefore we also call the approach presented as ACTIVE (need to be active)

-        create an atmosphere and give more room, space and resource, to support seeking and to invest cognitive resources in making decisions

-        use “scientific approach” that we could call as formulate and test hypothesis. Do not take your idea or first impression for granted BUT take it as assumption/hypothesis to be further tested (by evidence or experience).

The Toolkit presented in the ACTIVE project with its Methodology and Activities is designed to promote above mentioned predisposition for debasing.

Some research studies and information that could be found on the internet is for debasing promoting approaches that we cannot agree with [4]:

X        Use incentives. Be beware of trying to try “debiasing” students by motivating students to fulfill a specific action and follow specific norm (eat healthy, condemn what I label as "evil", etc.). This will be only creating new concept and bias towers something.

Use nudge theory for “debiasing”. Nudge theory “proposes positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions as ways to influence the behavior and decision-making of groups or individuals”[5]. If you are going to influence to do something unintentionally that is exactly meaning promoting biased decision making “influenced” (as it is stated) by someone or something. This is opposite of debasing.

[1] You can see an example here: How a Video Game Helped People Make Better Decisions

[2] You can see and use for your purposes the video used in the above research here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNWmnZJnNnE

[3] Cited from: Feeling validated versus being correct: a meta-analysis of selective exposure to information

[4] Debiasing Decisions: Improved Decision Making With a Single Training Intervention or Wikipedia

[5] Wikipedia: Nudge theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_theory