Cognitive Biases: Expression of Opinion Family
Stereotyping Bias
Definition:
A stereotype is a shared belief, positive or negative, about the characteristics (personality and behavior) of a group of people, without taking into account the individual specifics of each person. While stereotypes make categorization easier, they are reductionist, resistant to new information, and often inaccurate. They can lead to prejudice and discrimination.
Example:
Thinking that people over the age of 50 are not comfortable with technology is a stereotype that can have consequences for our actions (see prejudice bias).
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Prejudice
Definition:
Prejudice is a judgment formed about a group of people, or about a person based on their group membership (a generalization process). It is based on stereotypes, rather than on our personal experience or objective information. Prejudice can lead to negative feelings or behaviors toward members of an outgroup, as opposed to positive attitudes toward members of an ingroup.
Outgroup: A social, cultural, etc., group to which an individual does not belong.
Ingroup: A group to which an individual belongs.
Example:
Designing a product that could serve everyone but assuming that people over the age of 50 won't know how to use it can lead to excluding them and not adapting to their needs and specificities.
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Trait Attribution Bias
Definition:
We tend to consider ourselves less consistent and less predictable than others when it comes to personality, mood, and behavior. As a result, we attribute external causes to our behavior and internal causes to the behavior of others.
External Causes: The environment, conditions, context, etc.
Internal Causes: Personality traits, abilities, intentions, etc., of a person.
Example:
When using personas to create experience maps, it's essential not to generalize or caricature individual behaviors too much, as this can lead to stereotypes. To avoid this, base your personas on prior research with users and avoid making things up.
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Social Desirability Bias
Definition:
We try to present ourselves to others in a favorable and socially acceptable manner. This can be either conscious or unconscious.
Example:
In a focus group, the presence of others may lead participants to bias certain responses regarding their habits, preferences, etc., to align with implicit social standards.
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Politeness Bias
Definition:
We prefer to give a socially correct opinion rather than our true opinion to avoid offending others.
Example:
During a user test, it can be helpful for the facilitator to clarify that they didn't design the product or service being tested to mitigate this bias in participants.
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Illusion of Asymmetric Insight
Definition:
We believe that we have a very good understanding of others (their behaviors, values, emotions, thoughts, etc.) while remaining opaque to their understanding.
Example:
During individual interviews, it's important to ask participants what they think and feel and why, without interpreting these elements.
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Halo Effect
Also known as Notoriety Effect or Contamination Effect
Definition:
The perception of one part of a person or object influences the perception of the whole. Positive aspects enhance the overall perception, while negative aspects degrade it. Following the initial impression we have of someone or something, new information will be selectively perceived and interpreted to align with that impression.
Example:
In a survey, asking respondents to rate the overall quality of a tested product or service at the beginning will anchor their overall impression, biasing their subsequent responses in the same direction.
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Bandwagon Effect
Definition:
We adopt a behavior, opinion, product, or service because we know that it is already adopted by a large number of people. This phenomenon is reinforced by our ability to identify with people who have this behavior or opinion or already use the product or service.
Example:
On a website or app, mentioning the number of downloads, the number of reads of a blog article, or citing well-known individuals/companies that use it can encourage people to use it as well.