Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, originating from the brain's need to simplify information processing. First cataloged comprehensively by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in the 1970s, these mental shortcuts affect personal decisions, professional judgments, and social interactions. While biases evolved to help humans make quick decisions under uncertainty, they often lead to predictable errors in thinking—from overestimating our abilities to misjudging probabilities. Understanding these biases is the first step toward debiasing: once you recognize that your judgment naturally skews in specific directions, you can implement strategies to correct course before committing to flawed decisions.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 10 focused tables and 59 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Memory and Information Processing Biases
| Bias | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Searching only for articles that support your political view | Tendency to favor information that confirms preexisting beliefs while ignoring or dismissing contradictory evidence. | |
Overestimating plane crash risk after seeing news coverage | Judging likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind rather than actual statistical probability. | |
First salary offer of $60K influences all counteroffers | Relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions. | |
Employee evaluation focuses on last month only | Tendency to remember and overweight the most recent information when making judgments. |