Anna Sokyrka

Choice-supportive bias is the tendency to retroactively ascribe positive attributes to an option one has selected and/or to demote the forgone options. It is part of cognitive science, and is a cognitive bias that occurs once a decision is made. To show the choice-supportive bias, let’s look at the idea of buying a dog. No matter the consequences, the decision is always justified, even if it costs you…

The backfire effect is one manifestation of confirmation bias, the tendency of people to give more credence to evidence that supports their preexisting beliefs. To show this effect in action, let’s look at the common belief that little boys are messier than little girls. That’s a pre-existing belief, and it’s shown here through this somewhat light-hearted and silly scenario.

The Decline bias is the belief that a society or institution is tending towards decline. Particularly, it is the predisposition, possibly due to cognitive bias, such as rosy retrospection, to view the past more favourably and future negatively. This work illustrates the Decline Bias as it relates to elderly reminiscing of “the good old days”, that were “so much better”. While actually suggesting that they probably weren’t.

The Bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological claim that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present; the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help. The idea is to show the Bystander Effect in action as it relates to the homeless people we so often pass by on the streets thinking that someone else, not I, will help them.

Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. It is shown here in a scenario where we laugh at others for doing silly things, while in reality, we are no different.

Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent”. FOMO often shows through obsession with social media updates, messaging, and watching/reading news constantly.

Barnum Effect is the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them (more so than to other people), despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone. This effect often works in sync with horoscopes and zodiac signs. Final concept includes two RAM (as in Aries) trucks fighting for not the most favourable parking spot in an empty parking lot.

Conformity bias is a tendency to behave similarly to the others in a group, even if doing so goes against your own judgment. The idea is to show someone who gets something, even thought they are the last person to need it. Like this guy getting a swimming pool because his neighbours have it, while he is terrified of swimming!

Me? Never!