Blind Spot Bias
Recognizing biases in others but not in yourself
What is it?
Blind spot bias is the tendency to recognize cognitive biases in other people more readily than in ourselves. Studies find that people readily identify biases in others while rating themselves as less susceptible. This "bias about biases" is particularly pernicious because it undermines efforts at self-improvement: if you don't believe you're biased, you won't try to correct for it. The asymmetry exists partly because we have direct access to our own thought processes (which feel logical and well-reasoned to us) but can only observe others' behavior (which may seem biased). We are also motivated to see ourselves favorably. Knowing about biases does not seem to protect us from them, and it can make us feel safer than we are. Intelligence doesn't protect against it either; some research suggests more cognitively sophisticated people may show a slightly larger blind spot, perhaps because they are better at rationalizing their conclusions. The antidote requires genuine intellectual humility, systematically seeking external perspectives, creating checklists and procedures that don't rely on self-assessment, and assuming you're at least as biased as those around you.
Example
Criticizing a colleague for favoritism while showing your own. Believing you're objective while others are biased. Thinking learning about biases makes you immune to them.
References
Pronin, E., Lin, D. Y., & Ross, L. (2002). The Bias Blind Spot: Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(3), 369-381.
Pronin, E., Gilovich, T., & Ross, L. (2004). Objectivity in the Eye of the Beholder: Divergent Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others. Psychological Review, 111(3), 781-799.
Scopelliti, I., Morewedge, C. K., McCormick, E., Min, H. L., Lebrecht, S., & Kassam, K. S. (2015). Bias Blind Spot: Structure, Measurement, and Consequences. Management Science, 61(10), 2468-2486.
How to Prevent It
Doxa uses AI and can make mistakes. How it's built
Could I be susceptible to the same biases I see in others?
What would others say about my blind spots?
Where have I made similar errors in the past?
What bias am I most confident I don't have?
If I were biased, how would I know?
Ask for honest feedback about your potential biases.
Before an important decision, pick the two biases most likely to affect it and look for signs of them in your reasoning.
Keep a log of decisions where you later realized bias.
Create a personal bias checklist based on past errors.
Have a trusted critic who will tell you uncomfortable truths.