Question

The literature on attribution processes identifies a number of "biases" in the processes by which we perceive other persons. How do these biases influence the impressions we form of others as we interact with them? In particular, to what extent and in what ways do these biases influence our perceptions of the identities and goals of those with whom we interact?  What are some possible explanations for the existence of these biases?

Answer 1

While, scientifically, the term is considered very carefully, 'bias' is a word people often throw around in conversation without giving much thought to it. We hear phrases such as, "that's your bias speaking", or "I'm biased", these indicate that the person conversing has something other than facts motivating their opinion/perception. There are quite a few biases that influence human interaction but, for the sake of brevity, let's focus on the three types we identify most often: confirmation bias, availability heuristics, and the self-serving bias. (Note: most biases overlap and are not exclusive. As human beings, we face challenges in dealing with several of our biases on a daily basis.)

Confirmation bias refers to approving of information that conforms to your beliefs while actively rejecting the evidence of anything that does not conform to that belief system. One can listen to two sides of the same story and make up their mind about it based entirely one which side validates their existing thought system/point of view. Think of voters and how stories the hear affect the vote the cast. If someone who has subscribed to a feminist ideology for a long time hears Senator Warren say, Senator Sanders does not believe a woman can win the election, they're likely to belive Senator Warren and ignore any contradictory evidence that may indicate that Senator Sanders does not believe that. Confirmation bias and herd mentality go hand in hand. We see it in religious interactions too. Most religious people are a part of a group with a set of beliefs that are not challenged because everyone in the group shares the beliefs.

Availability heuristic involves relying heavily on information that is easily accessible. We place a great deal of value on information/ examples that come to mind easily and use that to judge an event or people. The idea is 'if I can think of it, it has to be important'. Keep in mind that this mental shortcut is a handy tool but it can lead to incorrect assessments sometimes. Maybe you've come across reports of people losing their jobs, now you might think you're in danger of being fired. That keeps you up at night with endless worrying. You might start to view your boss with suspicion or think your job is now more competitive than before. That's not a correct assessment.

Self-serving bias is something we're all guilty of. When something goes haywire, human beings have a strong tendency to lay the blame on external forces while happily taking credit for all that goes right in our lives. Again, it's not a bad thing, per se. It's a defence mechanism we adopt to protect our self-esteem. Consider a road accident, both parties place the blame on the other person. We do not wish to take responsibility for times of confrontation because there is a chance we're in the wrong and that could affect our confidence. When we study hard and do well in a paper we give ourselves credit but if our performance lacks in some way we blame the examiner for setting super tough or out of syllabus questions.  

In conclusion, biases warp/misrepresent our thinking and influence our judgements about situations and people. Some biases are overt while many others are subtle enough to go unrecognised since our minds can only pay attention to a limited amount of information.