Co-Exist Newsroom
Content Module 1
Introduction to Cognitive Bias – How our brains react to information on social media, why we prioritise divisive content and the dangers of information overload.
Total: 23 slides
TITLE
Introduction to Cognitive Bias – How our brains react to information on social media, why we prioritise divisive content and the dangers of information overload.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand what cognitive biases are and identify them
- Understand how they impact your relationship with information on social networks
- Assimilate strategies to limit their effects
What is a cognitive bias?
Cognitive bias is a systematic deviation in our thought process that results in distortion, misinterpretation, or irrational judgment about something or someone.
Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects judgments and decisions.
Cognitive biases and social networks
Social media is designed to capture our attention using our cognitive biases.
Our brains respond more to emotions. We constantly tend to favour information that reinforces our pre-existing beliefs. Cognitive biases are therefore a constant danger in our relationship with information and especially in the way we select, prioritise and interpret information.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias that causes individuals to privilege, seek, interpret in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or assumptions while giving less consideration, or completely ignoring, information that might contradict their opinions.
Case study
Julian, an 18-year-old European man, holds a belief that Muslims are generally intolerant of other religions. This conviction is reinforced when he comes across social media posts detailing incidents involving Muslims engaged in acts of religious intolerance. These instances serve as confirmation bias for Julian, solidifying his perspective.
His social media engagement is marked by a notable pattern. Julian tends to concentrate on posts depicting negative interactions involving Muslims and religious intolerance. Furthermore, he actively discusses these specific incidents with his friends, contributing to the reinforcement of his conviction that Muslims are intolerant.
Conversely, when exposed to content depicting Muslims participating in interfaith actions, advocating for peace, and fostering understanding among diverse communities, Julian exhibits a tendency to dismiss, minimise, or rationalise such instances. He may perceive them as exceptions or outliers that do not accurately represent the broader truth about Muslims. This selective attention creates a confirmation bias, where Julian accepts information that aligns with his pre-existing beliefs while neglecting or rationalising information that challenges them.
As a result, Julian’s understanding of Muslims becomes skewed and often inaccurate due to his propensity for selectively choosing and interpreting information. This confirmation bias hinders the development of a nuanced and objective perspective, as it is based on a limited and biased selection of information.
How can this bias be reduced?
Deliberately and consciously seeking out information that challenges or contradicts our existing beliefs. This intentional effort serves to cultivate a more balanced perspective and diminish inherent biases.
Actively seeking exposure to a diverse range of information sources, including those presenting viewpoints contrary to our own. This practice contributes to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of various topics.
Employing critical thinking skills to assess the reliability, source, and context of information received.
Availability bias
It represents a cognitive bias wherein individuals gauge the likelihood of an event based on the ease with which examples come to mind. In simpler terms, if a particular instance can be readily recalled, there is a tendency to perceive it as more common or probable than it genuinely is!
Case Study
Consider a scenario where shark attacks become a prevalent focus in the media. Online news platforms and social media relentlessly broadcast images and narratives of these incidents, often emphasising dramatic and sensational details. Consequently, due to the pervasive nature of this media coverage, a significant number of individuals begin to exaggerate the likelihood of experiencing a shark attack during their upcoming beach vacation.
Despite statistical evidence indicating an extremely low risk of such an occurrence, the constant and immediate availability of these stories in the media contributes to a distorted perception. The intense coverage creates an illusionary elevation of the risk, leading people to believe that the threat is much higher than the objective reality suggests!
Danger: This is a classic example of availability bias!
The perception of the frequency or likelihood of an event is disproportionately influenced by information that is easily accessible and recently acquired in people’s minds.
How can we limit the impact of availability bias?
It is important to adopt strategies that promote a more objective and nuanced assessment of information, namely:
Avoid relying on a single source.
When a topic captures your interest, seek out reliable data and statistics to gain a more accurate understanding of its actual frequency or likelihood.
Acknowledge and be mindful of your inclination to be influenced by information that is recent or easily memorable.
Engaging in conversations with others, particularly those holding diverse perspectives, can offer fresh insights and help counteract the impacts of availability bias.
Endeavour to ground your opinions and decisions in robust evidence rather than relying on vivid yet isolated anecdotes or examples.
Allocate time for thoughtful consideration before reaching conclusions, particularly when confronted with sensational or emotionally charged information.
The heuristic bias of representativeness
The representativeness heuristic is based on a resemblance to a stereotype rather than on numbers and statistics to validate a fact.
Case study
Emma, regularly exposed to media narratives emphasising higher crime rates among migrants, encounters news of a crime in her town. Lacking additional evidence, she hastily concludes that the likely perpetrator is a migrant, aligning with the prevalent narrative she has frequently encountered. However, statistically, the majority of crimes are committed by native citizens. Emma’s judgment reflects the representativeness heuristic, where she assesses the likelihood of an event (a migrant committing a crime) based on perceived similarities to stereotypes or high-profile examples rather than considering actual statistical data. This tendency can foster biased perceptions and attitudes towards migrants.
Strategies to counter this bias.
Look for reliable data and statistics.
Develop the habit of considering probability and actual frequencies in your thought processes, incorporating the principles of statistical probability, including factors like sample size and base rates.
Refrain from succumbing to the inclination to form quick generalisations about individuals or events based on a singular characteristic or attribute.
The Halo Effect
The racism halo effect can occur when a person forms an overall negative impression of an individual based on racist beliefs or racial stereotypes. For example, if someone has a preconceived negative opinion about a certain ethnicity, that opinion can create a “negative halo” that colours all the perceptions they have of people of that ethnicity.
Case Study
On social media, the halo effect is evident in users’ inclination to form positive or negative judgments about an individual based on a singular characteristic or facet of their online profile. For instance, if a celebrity is renowned for their commitment to humanitarian causes, individuals might extend a positive impression to other aspects of their life, even in the absence of concrete knowledge. Conversely, if a company becomes embroiled in a scandal, it has the potential to cast a negative shadow over users’ perceptions of all facets of that company.
This effect is particularly pronounced on social media due to the rapid and effortless dissemination of information, coupled with the tendency of users to align with prevailing opinions without necessarily seeking more in-depth or nuanced information. The speed and ease of information sharing amplify the impact of the halo effect, shaping swift and sometimes oversimplified judgments
Conclusion
- On social networks, we are subject to a number of cognitive biases that come from automatic mental processes, cognitive simplifications or the influence of emotional factors.
- They affect our judgments, decisions, and social interactions, and are important to recognise to try to minimise their effects on our actions.
- These biases can occur at any time during decision-making, when evaluating information, or when consuming information.
- They all operate on a simple human mechanism: our tendency to favour information that reinforces our beliefs.
Conclusion
Your most powerful tool is not technological; it is scepticism.
Acknowledge the inherent human tendency to find comfort in belief rather than engage in critical thinking or cultivate doubt.
In today’s context, information incongruent with our beliefs is often labelled as “propaganda.” However, we often overlook that our belief systems are shaped by the unique context in which we exist, and we refrain from questioning them because they appear self-evident. Could it be that we are too hasty in dismissing opposing perspectives as mere propaganda?
Overview of the main cognitive biases on social networks
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project Number: 2022-2-IE01-KA220-YOU-