Have you ever considered how much your environment and upbringing may influence your thought processes?
Are you a frog in the well? Feel at ease with your habitat and try to reject anything new and different.
Could this always be true?
Would you be fooled by a psychological phenomenon that makes you think that whatever is available and can be easily seen around is your right choice?
This article defines Availability Bias and its role in human cognition. It provides real-life examples and explains how to overcome it.
Understanding Availability Bias
Availability bias is a way of thinking that happens when we only think about the information that is easy to see and hear. We only think about information floating out there. This bias can be seen in everyday life while making decisions or forming an opinion quickly after hearing a story or example.
We listen, we nod, and we form an idea in our heads without questioning the source. Media outlets are like the pied pipers of politics, leading us down a path of opinions without us even realizing it. They over-present certain stories or perspectives, while others are underrepresented or ignored altogether.
This can perpetuate stereotypes and limit opportunities for meaningful dialogue and understanding. Don’t let your opinions be swayed by sensationalized headlines or biased reporting. So let’s take a step back and do some good old-fashioned research, shall we? Don’t let the media be the boss!
In addition, availability bias often causes us to be less creative and thoughtful in our approach to problem-solving, as we are more likely to rely on the evidence that is immediately presented to us. We must avoid being swayed by narrow or limited representations of the world around us.
The Exploited And The Exploiters
The typical victims of availability bias are those who fail to explore all their options before they make decisions based on easily available and visible information. This bias often leads people to decide without considering all potential outcomes or, even worse, to form an opinion or judgment without researching further.
On the other hand, those who take advantage of availability bias tend to be individuals or organizations presenting only one side of an argument to manipulate others into believing what they want them to.
This could include media outlets that portray only stories that support their political agenda, companies that create advertising campaigns based solely on the positive aspects of their product, or even governments that limit access to certain types of information to maintain power and control.
Day-to-Day Availability Bias
- Companies produce advertising campaigns that focus on the most positive aspects of their product without providing the full picture of its drawbacks.
- Political leaders spin the information available to them to stay in power and maintain control.
- People rely heavily on internet search engines and do not actively seek alternative sources of knowledge or opinion.
- When we blindly follow advice from friends and family without any further research or use of better reliable sources of information.
Recognizing When You’re Slipping Into The Availability Bias Trap
To identify when you are falling into the trap of availability bias, look out for the following signs:
- Using information that is easily accessible or that you have heard often, without considering its accuracy or reliability.
- Failing to seek out more reliable sources of information.
- Making decisions based on anecdotal evidence instead of looking at data or statistics.
- Being overly influenced by sensational news stories or personal accounts that may not be representative of a larger population.
- Overestimating the likelihood of certain events happening due to exposure to media coverage or other personal experiences exaggerates the chances of a given event occurring.
Overcoming the Availability Bias Trap
It is important to keep current data and evidence in mind and not let our memories or experiences skew our perspective. We must always strive for an unbiased view of any given situation. Here are a few tips :
Advocate for an objective process when making decisions
Create or use a decision-making process that emphasizes objectivity to limit the influence of cognitive biases such as availability bias.
Take an outside perspective
It is recommended to seek an impartial second opinion from someone who is not emotionally involved in the situation to identify possible flaws in your reasoning without being influenced by emotional reactions.
Carry out detailed research
Investigate all possible outcomes and courses of action before committing to a decision. This can help reduce the effects of availability bias by forcing you to consider all options objectively.
Learn about cognitive biases
Educating yourself about cognitive biases like availability bias can help sharpen your critical thinking skills and provide the tools to spot potential traps and ensure more accurate decision-making.
Look at the big picture
Don’t become too wrapped up in small details – remember the bigger picture and stay focused on the end goal when considering different courses of action or options.
Leave time for reflection
Allow some time between gathering information and committing to a decision so that there is plenty of time to reflect on various factors objectively before making any concrete choices or decisions.
Stay organized
Keeping records or notes of each step taken throughout the decision-making process can help avoid becoming overwhelmed or trapped by availability bias. It ensures that all relevant data points are considered equally without favoring certain sources over others due to their closeness or convenience.
Final Thoughts
Have you ever eaten grapes from just one vine and determined that grapes are sour?
Have you concluded that all planes will crash based on a few unfortunate incidents?
Shopped for goodies without doing any prior research? Does everyone who goes swimming drown?
Making decisions based on limited information is similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle with only a few pieces; it’s just not enough! It’s time to expand our horizons and gather more information before we make important decisions.
So next time, do try out a variety of grapes from different sources, consider the broader context or statistics around plane safety and swimming safety, likewise gather the right info with prior research on products as you go shopping for goodies.
All of us want to experience the sweet taste of grapes and the high-flying success of well-informed decisions. Availability bias can lead people to make flawed judgments and decisions based on limited or easily accessible information, but now it is up to you to stand up to it. This blog post here is to help you pause and reflect before forming an opinion or making a decision. To learn more about other fascinating human psychology topics, subscribe to our newsletter.
Reference
The above article is based on the book Thinking Clearly; this article is here to help us learn and understand how our minds can be tricked by something called cognitive biases.