Cognitive Bias: Factors, Strategies to Reduce Bias, and Solutions

This essay delves into the multifaceted concept of cognitive bias, examining the various factors that influence and distort human perception. The essay identifies key elements such as time, past experiences, attitude, motive, interest, expectation, proximity, similarity, background, and sounds, illustrating how each can lead to biased judgments. Furthermore, it explores practical strategies for both individuals and organizations to mitigate these biases. These include associating with diverse individuals, accepting human fallibility, establishing clear decision-making criteria, holding decision-makers accountable, implementing employee screening, providing comprehensive training, adopting pair training practices, changing organizational culture, and rewarding diversity promotion. The essay emphasizes the importance of recognizing and actively working to overcome cognitive biases to ensure fairer and more accurate decision-making processes, highlighting the potential consequences of biased judgments.

Introduction
Even though we might strive to make accurate and informed decisions, sometimes
being biased is inevitable. This is because there are several factors that affect the way we
perceive things. They distort and limit our perception leading to bias. This is often referred to
as cognitive bias and it is human to have it. Our perception is influenced by several factors
that drive us to the judgments we make.This means that the judgments we make in day to day
lives are not always fair but affiliated or inclined towards a particular side(SILANI, G.,
Lamm, C., Ruff, C.C. and Singer, T., 2014, pp.76-80). Being bias means being inclined
towards something. This article explores some of the factors that limit and distort our
perception leading to bias. It also looks at the remedies that individuals and organizations can
use to avoid bias.
Factors that lead to bias
There are a number of factors that will actually distort and limit how we perceive
things and lead to bias. For instance, time will limit our perception. The time that a particular
thing occurs determines how we perceive it. If for example, a particular person speaks last in
a gathering our judgment is that the person is too prominent (SVENSSON, J., Mustafa, A.,
Fick, J., Schmitz, M. and Brunström, B., 2016, pp.44-50). Again, if a person is engaged in an
interview for a longer duration than others, we perceive that the person particular person is
great. Another factor that distorts our perception is past experience with someone. If for
example you had an encounter with a particular person and saw how they behaved and how
they presented themselves you get a positive attitude towards that person. When at one time
asked about who can do a particular thing efficiently you will definitely mention that person
as opposed to another person you’ve not met.
Attitude is another factor that actually distorts our perception. Attitude simply means
the state of mind. When we have a positive attitude towards a particular thing, we shall surely
be inclined towards that particular thing. For instance, if you have a positive attitude towards
strolling in the beaches and you are given options to a leisure activity you will definitely
choose strolling in the beaches. Motive also affects our perception. Motive means an emotion
that will make a particular person do something (ENOS, R.D. and Celaya, C., 2017, pp.89-
90). Sometimes our emotions influence how we make decisions. If for example, you are
judging a case between two people who were fighting and one of them is seriously hurt you
are likely to be inclined towards the one who is hurt. Your emotion and sympathy are likely

to make you lay hands on the one who is not hurt. Emotion makes you pity that particular
person and makes decisions that are inclined towards that particular person. This is a good
and solid evidence of the distortion of perception to make a biased judgment.
Interest is another factor that limits and distorts our perception. This is to mean that
you will always make decisions influenced by your passion. There is no way a particular
person will decide to do something that does not please his or her heart. For instance, if a
person prefers taking juice to porridge and is asked to suggest a drink after a lunch session is
likely to request juice rather than porridge. This is a decision influenced so much by interest
and passion.Again, if making choices for oneself; one is likely to be much influenced by his
interests which will hinder making accurate decisions. Another factor that will limit our
perception is our expectation (AGHA, R.A., 2017, pp.6-7). Expectation makes us make a
prior judgment about how a particular thing is likely to happen. How we make decisions is
influenced by what we expect from particular people. If for instance, we expect a particular
thing to happen in a particular manner, we shall make our decisions inclined to that
expectation. If for instance, a teacher expects a particular student to pass the exam; his
decision will be inclined towards that particular student and will always make affiliated
decisions.
Proximity is yet another factor that limits and distorts our perception. This means the
state of being near to a particular thing or person, whether in terms of space, time or
relationship. How much we are close to people affect our perception and judgment. For
example, we are likely to incline towards our family members when judging a case or
deciding the ratio of sharing capital (CHE-CASTALDO, C., Crisafulli, C.M., Bishop, J.G.
and Fagan, W.F., 2015, pp.104-108). It is not even strange to see managers hire their family
members to take top positions in organizations or promote them. We are also likely to choose
our relatives to be among the top position stakeholders in an organization. Similarity also
influences our decisions by limiting our perception to bring about bias. Similarity means the
relation of sharing properties with a particular person. It also won’t be strange to see a person
asked to choose workmate and choose a former schoolmate because he or she believes that
they have some common traits due to common training. In simple terms, our decisions will
always be inclined towards those who we share a commonality.
The background is another factor that influences our decisions and leads to bias
(DUCHÊNE, D. and Duchêne, S., 2016, pp.54-57). In this context, bias means ones’ social

heritage. This means that one is likely to favor a person of their own social heritage as
opposed to those of another background. If for instance, a person hates a particular
background due to his or her well known reasons, he or she is likely to make judgments
against that background. For example, it is likely that an African judge in a European court
will make judgements inclined to an Africans. Another key factor that influences our decision
is sounds. The way a particular thing sounds will always influence the decision we make. For
example, we will always make judgments on the state of anger of a person depending on the
pitch of their voice. Again, if we are rating the danger of a scenario, we are likely to
determine the magnitude of the scream by the affected victim.
Strategies that individuals and organizations can undertake to avoid bias and perceptions
which are distorted.
It is important to know that even if there are factors that will influence how we
perceive things and lead us to bias, there are ways to overcome this bias. It is very imperative
to overcome bias so that we can make decisions that are not affiliated to a particular thing.
This is what is called uninfluenced judgment.Hanging out with people who have better
attitudes than can reduce our bias greatly(SCHMIDT, H.G., Mamede, S., Van den Berge, K.,
van Gog, T., 2016, pp.34-40). If for example, you have a negative attitude about the
homeless, walking with a person who volunteers to work in the advantage of the homeless
will help you get a better attitude towards them. This way will help you reduce your
affiliation towards those who have homes. By so doing you will have avoided bias and you
will be capable of making fair judgments. Making friends and interacting with people who
you perceive as being different can also help you reduce bias. It is said that thoughts are
influenced by behavior. If for example you don’t like old people and you associate yourself
with them or people who like them you are likely to love them as time goes by.
Appreciating the fact that we are all humans and that our brains make mistakes can
help reduce bias. If for example, you become aware of the unconscious bias you will instantly
reduce the bias of generalization and stereotypes. It is important that we accept the fact that
as human beings we are at times biased based on generalization and work towards mitigating
it. Therefore, accepting this fact will slowly waft out this bias. Organizations also ought to
establish clear criteria before making decisions so that the bias can be taken out of the
decision-making process (GOODMAN, D.B., Church, G.M. and Kosuri, S., 2015, pp.56-70).

This includes and is not limited to hiring and promotion of employees and other organization
staff. By so doing, we avoid affiliations and are able to make just decisions.
Organizations have to also hold decision makers accountable for the decision made.
This will include the outcomes, whether negative or positive. The decision makers should be
held responsible for any mess that occurs as a result of their decisions. This will actually
reduce the inclination towards one side and lead to accurate decisions. Organizations can also
make an employee screening so as to confidentially find out what is happening in every
employee aspect process(JACKSON, B. and Campos, J., 2017, pp.87-91). The organization
should take a keen interest on how resumes are screened, how hiring and employee
promotion is done so as to know whether there is bias in any stage. By so doing the
organization will be aware whether there is transparency in the activities that take place in the
organization. This is the only sure way of dealing with bias in the acquisition and dealing
with employees.
Proper training of employees and leaders can also help an organization overcome
bias. An organization ought to train its employees about the malpractices and their effects so
as to reduce the effect of being bias. This can take the form of mentoring programs and
benchmark among other ways. When this is done effectively, the company to a wider extent
is able to avoid bias. Another way an organization can avoid being bias is pair training of best
practices (DEL JUNCO, D.J., 2015, pp.76-80). For example, an organization can choose to
hold interviews for employee recruitment and at the same time hold training of the moral
uprightness that the absorbed employees are expected to show. This is one of the most
effective ways to counteract bias. This is because employees hired will be already knowing
what is expected of them and the consequences of breaching the moral standards. By so
doing, the acquired employees will be free from any bias.
An organization can also include practices that are aimed at changing the culture of
the employees. This will ensure that the employees change their perception and drop their
cultural judgments and are able to make accurate decisions (SCHLÜNS, H., Welling, H.,
Federici, J.R. and Lewejohann, L., 2017, pp.204-210). This can take the form of sensitizing
on listening to others, giving credit to others and fair and balanced feedback. This helps the
employees to have self-esteem as well as respect other’s opinions and give credit to them as
well as appreciating their worth. Organizations can also reward employees who do their best
in promoting diversity in the zeal to avoiding affiliation and bias. By so doing, these

employees feel motivated and t is likely to get stronger and also influence the rest to adopt
the same idea in promoting diversity. It is said that appreciating other people’s views and
seeing their worth will reduce cognitive bias to a great extent.
Conclusion
Conclusively, it is a mere and undisputable fact that some factors like our
expectations and attitude affects our perception and leads to bias. However, this should not
frighten us so much as though there is no a way forward that will be used to lessen our biased
decisions or completely waft them out of ourselves. We should, therefore, know that bias can
be overcome in several ways which include appreciating others' worth and association with
people who promote diversity. Although bias is human, it is important to avoid it, by all
means, possible because there is always a consequence for every decision made.

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