biases
Tilts in judgment
Biases is the plural of bias—preconceptions or inclinations that favor or disfavor something.
Everyone has biases, whether conscious or unconscious: We all carry biases that affect our judgment.
In statistics, bias is systematic error that skews results.
The verb form means to influence unfairly: Media coverage biases public opinion.
Inclination toward a behavior
- leaningTendency toward something
- predispositionInnate tendency toward something
- proclivityInherent tendency toward something
- partialityUnfair favor toward some
penchant · predilection · disposition · preference · propensity · affinity · favoritism · bent
Practical problem-solving shortcuts
- anchoringFastening securely to position
- availabilityState of being obtainable
- representativenessQuality of being typical
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
overconfidence · hindsight · optimism · pessimism · recency · primacy · negativity · self-serving
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- ageismPrejudice targeting older people
- homophobiaPrejudice against same-sex attraction
- xenophobiaHatred of outsiders
transphobia · ableism · antisemitism · colorism · casteism · classism · misogyny · misandry
Assigning actors similar roles
- pigeonholingAssigning to narrow categories
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- generalizingInferring broadly from particulars
- labelingAssigning identifying markers
caricaturing · oversimplifying · assumptions · preconceptions · archetypes · categorizing · attribution · unconscious
Choosing only supporting examples
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- entrenchmentFortified or fixed position
- self-fulfillingMaking itself happen
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
Of formal establishments
- structuralRelating to building framework
- organizationalRelating to structured arrangement
- hiringGiving someone work
- algorithmicFollowing programmed steps
selection · sampling · reporting · publication · funding · media · judicial · policing
tendency
Inclination toward a behavior
- leaningTendency toward something
- predispositionInnate tendency toward something
- proclivityInherent tendency toward something
partiality · penchant · predilection · disposition · preference · propensity · affinity · favoritism · bent · slant
heuristics
Practical problem-solving shortcuts
- anchoringFastening securely to position
- availabilityState of being obtainable
- representativenessQuality of being typical
framing · overconfidence · hindsight · optimism · pessimism · recency · primacy · negativity · self-serving · projection
racism
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- ageismPrejudice targeting older people
- homophobiaPrejudice against same-sex attraction
xenophobia · transphobia · ableism · antisemitism · colorism · casteism · classism · misogyny · misandry · bigotry
typecasting
Assigning actors similar roles
- pigeonholingAssigning to narrow categories
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- generalizingInferring broadly from particulars
labeling · caricaturing · oversimplifying · assumptions · preconceptions · archetypes · categorizing · attribution · unconscious
cherry-picking
Choosing only supporting examples
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- entrenchmentFortified or fixed position
- self-fulfillingMaking itself happen
institutional
Of formal establishments
- structuralRelating to building framework
- organizationalRelating to structured arrangement
- hiringGiving someone work
algorithmic · selection · sampling · reporting · publication · funding · media · judicial · policing · lending
- preferencespreferences, prefer, likes, like, liking
- Assumptionsfalse assumption, stereotypes, generalizations, prejudices, expectations
- inner lifeidentity, feelings, memory, thoughts, self-discovery
- social attitudesracism, sexism, ageism, xenophobia, homophobia
- hidden thingssecrets, motives, agendas, subtext, undercurrents
- thinking errorsad hominem, straw man, slippery slope, sunk cost fallacy, false dilemma
biasesneutrality
State of taking sides
impartiality · objectivity · fairness · even-handedness · disinterestedness
biasesobjectivity
Freedom from personal bias
rationality · accuracy · clear-sightedness · calibration · sound judgment
biasesopen-mindedness
Acceptance of differing viewpoints
receptivity · tolerance · broad-mindedness · acceptance · inclusivity
- gender biasesPrejudices based on sex
- gender biasPrejudice based on sex
- media biasSkewed news presentation
- confirmation biasPreferring belief-supporting information
- racial biasPrejudice based on ethnicity
- hindsight biasIllusion of prior knowledge