Do you believe you fall sick when you eat melons for breakfast or when you see a black cat?
Does buying the ticket on Saturdays win you the lottery? Or Meeting a lucky acquaintance in the elevator gets you an increment!
Sometimes our minds can be convinced that two unrelated things are actually connected.
Well, is that luck or blurring of your thoughts getting associated with illogical beliefs?
Discover the ins and outs of Association Bias, how it can impact you, and ways to safeguard yourself. Dive into the topic now to be aware of its influence.
Understanding “Association Bias”
Association bias is a cognitive bias where individuals are inclined to associate certain beliefs or attributes with another without considering the facts or evidence.
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, conducted groundbreaking experiments on association bias in dogs. Pavlov’s work on association bias laid the foundation for understanding how our brains form connections between different stimuli.
He observed that the dogs began to associate the sound of a bell with food, causing them to salivate even when food was not present.
This discovery led to the development of classical conditioning and revolutionized the field of psychology.
This bias is often seen when we make assumptions about someone based on race, gender, lifestyle, career path, etc. While it’s natural for us to try to make connections between different people and situations, this bias can lead to false judgments. It can even be detrimental in some cases.
The classic problem of association bias,” shoot the messenger or hold them hostage,” dates back to the days of kings and emperors. After all, who hasn’t felt the urge to blame the bearer of bad news, even if they had nothing to do with it?
So, think about this logically for a moment. Is it really fair to blame the messenger for bad news they had no control over? Next time you feel like taking out your frustration on the messenger or holding them responsible, Nobody should be punished for the news they deliver! It is not their fault!
The Exploited And The Exploiters
Association bias can have severe consequences, causing individuals to make unfounded judgments, assumptions, and discriminatory actions that can perpetuate the marginalization of certain groups. Typically, those who have experienced stereotypes or prejudice and identify as part of a minority or underrepresented group are more prone to being impacted by this bias.
Individuals who exploit this bias usually belong to more privileged backgrounds and wield significant societal influence. Consequently, they may manipulate the narrative surrounding a particular issue, utilizing their tendencies instead of factual evidence.
Day To Day Association Bias
- Believing that a certain type of car is driven mostly by wealthy people – While luxury cars are often associated with wealth and status, it’s an example of association bias to assume that all drivers of such cars are wealthy.
- Associating someone who speaks with an accent as being less intelligent or educated – This form of association bias is unfair since language proficiency has nothing to do with intelligence or education.
- Choosing an expensive item simply because of its brand name and ignoring less costly alternatives that offer the same value for money.
- Automatically distrusting someone due to their ethnicity, political association, or religious beliefs without considering their individual qualities and merits.
- Relying on negative stereotypes when describing certain groups of people rather than recognizing them as individuals with unique characteristics and traits.
Recognizing When You’re Slipping Into The Association Bias Trap
One way to identify if you’re falling into the trap of association bias is by reflecting on whether your decisions are based on logical reasoning or simply association.
For example, ask yourself: What is the reality about this person or product?
Ask yourself if you are assessing all the advantages and disadvantages objectively. “No” or “I am unsure” are your responses, then you might be susceptible to Association Bias.
You may step away from your comfort zone and challenge yourself to think differently, not make decisions just because something feels familiar.
Finally, discussing your thoughts with others who may have different perspectives is always helpful.
Overcoming the Association Bias Trap
- Set aside time for self-reflection: Take time to think about your biases and what is driving them.
- Consider alternative explanations: Challenge yourself to consider different viewpoints instead of relying on your preconceived notions.
- Ask questions: Seek answers from other people who may have different perspectives.
- Familiarize yourself with research: Read up on the latest research on Association Bias and its effects on decision-making.
- Avoid absolute statements: Be wary of ‘always’ or ‘never’ type statements – they are usually a sign of biased thinking.
- Involve team members in decision-making: Having multiple people involved in decision-making helps reduce bias as each individual will bring their unique perspective on things to the table and insights into potential opportunities or risks that wouldn’t be seen otherwise.
- Get a second opinion: When faced with an important decision seeking advice from an independent expert who isn’t affected by the same associations you are can help provide another insight into what might be the best route forward.
Final Thoughts
My personal adaptation of Ivan Pavlov’s Association Bias experiments with my pooch, who loves treats, particularly carrots! It goes like this, as and when the fridge door opens, and the sound of the carrot grating echoes through the kitchen, my dog immediately perks up and starts salivating. It’s as if his mind has linked the opening of the fridge door to the gratifying crunch of a carrot – an association bias in action!
Seeing how his brain has formed this connection between seemingly unrelated events is amazing. To me, it’s just the start of putting together a tasty snack for my pet, but to him, it’s a Pavlovian response – a signal that a delicious carrot is on its way! His tail wags excitedly, and he eagerly awaits his tasty reward.
My dog may not understand the science behind it, but he certainly exhibits association bias like Ivan Pavlov’s famous dogs who participated in his experiments! Who knew that a simple sound and action could elicit such a strong response in our beloved pets? It goes to show how powerful our brain’s ability to form connections between different stimuli can be!
So can you now tie this link up with those clever advertisers, their products, happy and satisfied faces, and the decision to buy? I hope you can connect the dots. Did this post help you understand association bias and how it affects our decisions? If you found this post helpful in comprehending association bias and its impact on our decision-making, kindly share it with your friends and family! And do not forget to subscribe to our blog.
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.