Quarter 3 Lesson 1
Learning Competency: *Differentiate biases from prejudices (EN9LC-IVf-13.3)
Importance: It’s important to differentiate biases from prejudices because bias and prejudice can influence and affect the way we
think and behave, as well as our decision-making process. An important skill of critical reading is the ability to detect an
author's bias and prejudice. The reason you need to be able to do this is that bias and prejudice may invalidate an author's claim in
writing.
BIAS
Bias-an attitude, belief or feeling that results in and helps to justify unfair treatment of a person because of his or her
identity
Bias is described in Webster's dictionary as "the prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared
with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair."
A.It is the human tendency to make systematic errors in judgment or when making decisions based upon certain
thinking, thoughts, or preconceived notions.
B. It means that information comes from particular viewpoint. It might be trying to persuade you to a particular way of
thinking.
C. It might be intentional or unintentional.
D. It is a subjective way of thinking that tells only one side of a story, sometimes leading to inaccurate information or a
false impression.
Below are some possible sources of bias.
The writer is relying on incomplete information.
• The writer is trying to deceive the reader.
• The writer wants to believe what he or she is saying.
• The writer’s past experience is influencing his or her thinking.
• The writer is trying to persuade the reader.
Biases make it difficult for people to exchange accurate information or derive truths. A cognitive bias distorts our critical
thinking, leading to possibly perpetuating misconceptions or misinformation that can be damaging to others.
Biases lead us to avoid information that may be unwelcome or uncomfortable, rather than investigating the information
that could lead us to a more accurate outcome.
Biases can also cause us to see patterns or connections between ideas that aren’t necessarily there.
Bias is a tendency to lean in a certain direction, either in favor of or against a particular thing.
To be truly biased means to lack a neutral viewpoint on a particular topic. Somewhere along the line, bias took on
a negative connotation. We tend to think it's a bad thing but that's not always true.
PREJUDICE
Prejudice-an attitude, belief or feeling formed without adequate prior knowledge, thought, or reason
A. It is a pre-formed negative judgment or attitude.
B. It can be based on a number of factors including sex, race, age, sexual orientation, nationality, socioeconomic status,
and religion.
Prejudice is a negative attitude, emotion, or behavior towards individuals based on a prejudgment about those
individuals without having any prior knowledge or experience.
When prejudice occurs, stereotyping, discrimination, and bullying may also result. In many cases, prejudices are based
on stereotypes.
Prejudice-an attitude, belief or feeling formed without adequate prior knowledge, thought, or reason
Prejudice-refers to unfounded or pigeonholed beliefs and it may apply to "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually
resistant to rational influence".
Prejudice is a "feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual experience".
Prejudice is characterized by "symbolic transfer", transfer of a value-laden meaning content onto a socially-formed
category and then on to individuals who are taken to belong to that category, resistance to change, and over
generalization.
Prejudice comes from a deep psychological need where people who aren't comfortable with ambiguity are prone to
make generalizations about others.
TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF BIAS
1. COGNITIVE TYPE
A cognitive bias is a strong, preconceived notion of someone or something, based on information we have,
perceive to have, or lack. These preconceptions are mental shortcuts the human brain produces to expedite information
processing—to quickly help it make sense of what it is seeing.
The many types of cognitive biases serve as systematic errors in a person’s subjective way of thinking, which
originate from that individual’s own perceptions, observations, or points of view. There are different types of bias people
experience that influence and affect the way we think and behave, as well as our decision-making process.
For example, I am afraid of flying; however, it's more likely that I might be in a car crash than in a plane crash.
Despite this, I still hate flying but am indifferent to hopping into my car.
2. Confirmation bias
The confirmation bias is the tendency to listen more often to information that confirms our existing beliefs. Through this
bias, people tend to favour information that reinforces the things they already think or believe.
Examples include:
*Only paying attention to information that confirms your beliefs about issues such as gun control and global warming.
*Refusing to listen to the opposing side.
*Not considering all of the facts in a logical and rational manner.
*Only following people on social media who share your viewpoints.
*Choosing news sources that present stories that support your views.
3. Hindsight Bias
The hindsight bias is a common cognitive bias that involves the tendency to see events, even random ones, as more
predictable than they are. It’s also commonly referred to as the “I knew it all along” phenomenon.
Examples:
*Insisting that you knew who was going to win a football game once the event is over.
*Believing that you knew all along that one political candidate was going to win an election.
*Saying that you knew you weren’t going to win after losing a coin flip with a friend.
*Looking back on an exam and thinking that you knew the answers to the questions you missed.
*Believing you could have predicted which stocks would become profitable.
4. The Anchoring Bias
The anchoring bias is the tendency to be overly influenced by the first piece of information that we hear. Hearing a
random number can influence estimates on completely unrelated topics.
Example:
• Doctors can become susceptible to the anchoring bias when diagnosing patients. The physician’s first impressions of
the patient often create an anchoring point that can sometimes incorrectly influence all subsequent diagnostic
assessments.
5. The Misinformation Effect
The misinformation effect is the tendency for memories to be heavily influenced by things that happened after the actual
event itself.
Example:
A person who witnesses a car accident or crime might believe that their recollection is crystal clear, but researchers
have found that memory is surprisingly susceptible to even very subtle influences.
6. The Actor Observer Bias
The actor-observer bias is the tendency to attribute our actions to external influences and other people’s actions to
internal ones. The way we perceive others and how we attribute their actions hinges on a variety of variables, but it can
be heavily influenced by whether we are the actor or the observer in a situation.
For example:
You might say you failed an exam because the teacher posed too many trick questions.
7.The False-Consensus Effect
The false consensus effect is the tendency people have to overestimate how much other people agree with their own
beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and values.
For example:
*Thinking that other people share your opinion on controversial topics.
*Overestimating the number of people who are similar to you.
*Believing that the majority of people share your preferences.
8.The Halo Effect
The halo effect is the tendency for an initial impression of a person to influence what we think of them overall. Also
known as the “physical attractiveness stereotype” or the “what is beautiful is ‘good’ principle” we are either influenced by
or use the halo to influence others almost every day.
For example:
Thinking people who are good-looking are also smarter, kinder, and funnier than less attractive people.
Believing that products marketed by attractive people are also more valuable.
•
Thinking that a political candidate who is confident must also be intelligent and competent.
9.In-group bias.
This type of bias refers to how people are more likely to support or believe someone within their own social group than
an outsider. This bias tends to remove objectivity from any sort of selection or hiring process, as we tend to favor those
we personally know and want to help.
10.The Self-Serving Bias
The self-serving bias is a tendency for people tend to give themselves credit for successes but lay the blame for failures
on outside causes. When you do well on a project, you probably assume that it’s because you worked
hard. But when things turn out badly, you are more likely to blame it on circumstances or bad luck.
A self-serving bias is an assumption that good things happen to us when we’ve done all the right things, but bad things
happen to us because of circumstances outside our control or things other people purport. This bias results in a
tendency to blame outside circumstances for bad situations rather than taking personal responsibility.
Some examples of this:
• Attributing good grades to being smart or studying hard.
• Believing your athletic performance is due to practice and hard work.
• Thinking you got the job because of your merits.
11.The Dunning-Kruger Effect.
This particular bias refers to how people perceive a concept or event to be simplistic just because their knowledge about
it may be simple or lacking—the less you know about something, the less complicated it may appear. However, this
form of bias limits curiosity—people don’t feel the need to further explore a concept, because it seems simplistic to
them. This bias can also lead people to think they are smarter than they actually are, because they have reduced a
complex idea to a simplistic understanding.
12.Availability bias. Also known as the availability heuristic, this bias refers to the tendency to use the information we
can quickly recall when evaluating a topic or idea—even if this information is not the best representation of the topic or
idea. Using this mental shortcut, we deem the information we can most easily recall as valid, and ignore alternative
solutions or opinions.
13.Fundamental attribution error. This bias refers to the tendency to attribute someone’s particular behaviors to
existing, unfounded stereotypes while attributing our own similar behavior to external factors. For instance, when
someone on your team is late to an important meeting, you may assume that they are lazy or lacking motivation without
considering internal and external factors like an illness or traffic accident that led to the tardiness. However, when you
are running late because of a flat tire, you expect others to attribute the error to the external factor (flat tire) rather than
your personal behavior.
14.Optimism bias. This bias refers to how we as humans are more likely to estimate a positive outcome if we are in a
good mood.
For example, people generally tend to underestimate the cost and time needed for construction projects. The planning
fallacy occurs due to people's tendency to overestimate the chances that positive events, such as a shortened timeline,
will happen to them.
15.Pessimism bias. This bias refers to how we as humans are more likely to estimate a negative outcome if we are in a
bad mood.
A common example of pessimism bias can be observed in individuals who constantly anticipate failures or negative
outcomes. This could be seen in a student who believes they will fail an exam despite adequate preparation, or an
employee who assumes they will not get a promotion regardless of their good performance.
16. Status quo bias. The status quo bias refers to the preference to keep things in their current state, while regarding
any type of change as a loss. This bias results in the difficulty to process or accept change.
Example: You are having dinner with your friends at a restaurant you go to often. Looking at the menu, you feel tempted
to try a new dish. However, you are really hungry, and you don't want to risk choosing something you don't like.
Because of status quo bias, you want to be on the safe side.
17. Gender Bias: Unfairly favoring one gender over the other, often resulting in discriminatory practices.
-It refers to the unequal treatment or preference given to individuals based on their gender, often resulting in
disadvantages for one gender over another.
An example of gender bias could be a scenario in a workplace where a highly qualified woman is overlooked for a
promotion in favor of a less qualified man. This bias may stem from preconceived stereotypes or beliefs about gender
roles, assuming that the man is more suitable for a leadership position based solely on his gender. The bias in this case
leads to discriminatory actions, impacting the woman's professional opportunities solely because of her gender, rather
than her qualifications and abilities. Gender bias can manifest in various contexts, affecting hiring decisions, promotions,
salary negotiations, and other aspects of professional and personal life.
-Choosing male over female to lead a religious group.
18. Publication Bias: The tendency to publish only positive or statistically significant results, leading to a distorted view
of reality.
Publication bias occurs when one type of study result is more likely to be published than another. For example,
publishing results of studies that show a new treatment provides significant benefits, but not always publishing studies
that show less or no benefit, will lead to publication bias.
19. Political Bias: Favoring one political ideology over another, often influencing media or information dissemination.
Political bias is a bias or perceived bias involving the slanting or altering of information to make a political position or
political candidate seem more attractive. With a distinct association with media bias, it commonly refers to how a
reporter, news organisation, or TV show covers a political candidate or a policy issue
An example of political bias might be observed in a news organization where the reporting consistently favors one
political party or ideology over another. For instance, if a news outlet consistently provides more positive coverage to
one political candidate while portraying another candidate in a negative light, it could be indicative of political bias. This
bias may result from the editorial choices, story selection, or framing of issues in a way that aligns with the perspectives
or interests of the journalists, editors, or the ownership of the media outlet. Political bias can influence public perception
and contribute to a lack of objectivity in reporting, potentially impacting the audience's understanding of political events
and issues.
20. Beauty Bias:Treating individuals more favorably based on their physical attractiveness.
An example of beauty bias is a hiring manager who is more inclined to hire candidates they think are good-looking.
Hiring decisions should be based on skills, experience, and culture fit rather than physical appearance
An example of beauty bias can be observed in a workplace where a person's physical appearance plays a
disproportionate role in hiring or promotional decisions. For instance, if an employer favors candidates who conform to
conventional standards of attractiveness, such as being tall, slim, or having certain facial features, it demonstrates
beauty bias. In such cases, individuals who do not fit these perceived ideals may face discrimination in terms of job
opportunities or professional advancement, regardless of their qualifications or skills. Beauty bias can extend beyond
the workplace, impacting social interactions, relationships, and various aspects of daily life where judgments are made
based on physical appearance rather than individual abilities or character.
21. Affinity Bias: Preferring individuals or groups who share similar characteristics, backgrounds, or experiences.
Some examples of affinity bias in the workplace include: Hiring candidates who are not the most qualified for a given
role. Passing over deserving people for promotions. Leaders dismissing new, different ideas.
An example of affinity bias might occur in a hiring process where a manager tends to prefer candidates who share
similar backgrounds, interests, or experiences as themselves. For instance, if a hiring manager unconsciously favors
applicants who went to the same college, share the same hobbies, or have similar life experiences, it demonstrates
affinity bias. This bias can lead to the unintentional exclusion of qualified individuals who may not share those specific
characteristics. Affinity bias can hinder diversity and inclusion efforts within organizations by perpetuating a preference
for individuals with similar traits, potentially limiting the diversity of perspectives and experiences in the workplace.
22. Authority Bias: The tendency to attribute greater accuracy or trustworthiness to the opinions of authority figures.
An example is when your doctor tells you to lose weight by cutting down on carbs and starting an exercise regime, you
are more likely to do it because he is your doctor and probably knows better than your mother who said the same thing
last week.
An example of authority bias is when individuals give excessive credibility or unquestioning trust to someone in a
position of authority, regardless of the validity of their statements or actions. For instance, if a supervisor or manager
makes a decision or provides information, and the team automatically accepts it without critical evaluation solely based
on the authority figure's position, it demonstrates authority bias. In this scenario, the credibility of the information is
attributed more to the person's authority than to the merit of the content. This bias can potentially lead to uncritical
acceptance of flawed decisions or ideas, as individuals may be reluctant to challenge or question the authority figure.
Authority bias can impact decision-making processes in various contexts, including the workplace, education, and
society at large.
23. Selection Bias: Occurs when the sample used in a study is not representative of the entire population, leading to
skewed results.
Example: Selection bias Health studies that recruit participants directly from clinics miss all the cases who don't attend
those clinics or seek care during the study. Due to this, the sample and the target population may differ in significant
ways, limiting your ability to generalize your findings.
An example of selection bias can be found in a medical study where the participants are not randomly selected, leading
to skewed or inaccurate results. Suppose researchers are studying the effectiveness of a new medication and recruit
participants solely from a specific demographic, such as young adults. If the study's participants are not representative
of the broader population, the findings may not be generalizable to other age groups or demographics.
In this case, the selection bias occurs because the sample chosen is not a random representation of the entire
population. The study results may be limited in their applicability due to the over-representation or exclusion of certain
groups, impacting the validity and generalizability of the research findings. Selection bias can occur in various research
fields, affecting the reliability and external validity of study results.
24. Neglect of Probability: Ignoring relevant statistical information when making decisions.
In this type of decision-making, risks (when dealing with simple decisions) tend to be either ignored or blown out of
proportion. An example of this could be an athlete in training that attempts to perform a feat that is beyond their level of
training, ignoring the possibility of severe accident or injury.
An example of neglect of probability bias can be observed in a situation where individuals are overly concerned about a
rare and dramatic event, neglecting more probable and mundane risks. For instance, imagine someone is afraid to fly
because they fear a plane crash, even though statistically, air travel is one of the safest modes of transportation. This
person might choose to drive long distances instead, increasing their risk of a car accident, which is statistically more
likely.
An example of neglect of probability bias can be seen in a scenario where individuals avoid taking necessary
precautions for rare but severe events due to underestimating the probability of those events occurring. For instance, if
people dismiss the importance of having insurance coverage for a specific rare event, like a natural disaster, because
they believe the probability of it happening to them is extremely low, they may neglect the actual risk.
In this case, the neglect of probability bias leads individuals to downplay the significance of potential rare events,
overlooking the potential consequences. This bias can have consequences in decision-making, risk management, and
preparedness planning, as it may result in insufficient measures being taken to mitigate the impact of low-probability but
high-consequence events.
Manifestations of Bias
Explicit bias refers to the prejudice beliefs or attitudes one has towards a person or group on a conscious level. Explicit attitudes are
feeling and thoughts that one deliberately believes and can consciously document.
As explicit forms of discrimination have become less socially acceptable over time, implicit bias continues to negatively affect
the success of diverse groups, particularly those that have been historically underrepresented in science. This bias can influence the way
the empowered majority group thinks and behaves, which may manifest as "microaggressive" actions. Understanding implicit bias is
critical because both positive and negative unconscious beliefs can lead to structural inequity.
Implicit bias are prejudices, beliefs, or attitudes towards a person or group that are not within the margins of awareness, and are thus,
unconscious. Implicit bias can be difficult to acknowledge and control because it exists beyond one's conscious thoughts or feelings.
Implicit bias can undermine our explicit intentions or openly-held beliefs.
Types of Prejudice
1. Racism or Racial Prejudice
When it comes to prejudice, racism is a big one. Racism is having specific notions or thoughts about a person because of their
specific race.
Example:
*A boss’s prejudicial thoughts about racial minorities being lazy at work can lead to the discriminatory treatment of more
performance reviews.
*Some parents will not approve of their children marrying anyone of a different race. Typically, these parents believe their ethnic or
cultural background is superior to others, highlighting their ethnocentricity.
2. Ageism Prejudice
Thinking specific thoughts about the elderly being slow or not as fit as a younger individual is prejudice called ageism.
Example:
A manager not giving specific tasks to workers that reach a specific “older” age because the boss has the misconception those
older individuals can’t handle that work.
Making retirement mandatory or strongly encouraged at a specific age based on the prejudice that people of that age won’t be as
productive or able to do their jobs.
3. Ableism Prejudice
Ableism is the thought that people with disabilities are inferior to those with typical abilities.
Using a different voice to talk to a disabled person or talking about them rather than to them because you believe they can’t
understand you.
Thinking that disabilities must be visible for them to be a “real disability.”
For example:
Research has shown that simply asking questions about an event can change someone’s memories of what happened.
Watching television coverage may change how people remember the event.
Hearing other people talk about a memory from their perspective may change your memory of what transpired.
4. Sexual Prejudice
Sexual orientation can also lead to prejudices against same-sex couples and trans individuals.
Example
A person acting negatively towards two men holding hands on the street because of their belief that only opposite sexes should
marry.
An individual refusing to call a trans individual based on their preferred pronoun because of their beliefs on sexuality and the
existence of only the sex you were born with.
5. Classicism
Classicism is a belief that a person's social or economic station in society determines their value in that society .
Classism – differential treatment based on social class or perceived social class. Classism is the systematic assignment of worth
based on social class; policies and practices set up to benefit more class privileged people at the expense of the less class-
privileged people, resulting in drastic income and wealth inequality and causing basic human needs to go unmet; the rationale and
the culture which perpetuates these systems and this unequal valuing.
Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups.
Classism is held in place by a system of beliefs and cultural attitudes that ranks people according to economic status, family
lineage, job status, level of education, and other divisions.
Examples include: feelings of inferiority to higher-class people; disdain or shame about traditional patterns of class in one’s family
and a denial of heritage; feelings of superiority to people lower on the class spectrum than oneself; hostility and blame towards
other working-class or poor people; and beliefs that classist institutions are fair.
6. Homophobia
Homophobia is the dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
Homophobia is the fear, hatred, discomfort with or mistrust of people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Example:
Homophobic people may use mean language and name-calling when they talk about lesbian and gay people. Biphobic people may
tell bisexual people that it’s “just for attention,” or that they’re inherently cheaters. In its most extreme forms, homophobia and
biphobia can cause people to bully, abuse, and inflict violence on lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
7. Nationalism is an ideology by people who believe their nation is superior to all others. This sense of superiority often has its
roots in a shared ethnicity.
Nationalism-identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests
of other nations.
Nationalism, on the other hand, extends that to arrogance and potential military aggression. Nationalists believe they have a right
to dominate another nation because of their superiority. They feel they are doing the conquered a favor. This
encourages militarism.
8.Religious Prejudice
People who do not share their belief and adhere to a different worldview
Religious prejudice means negative attitudes or behavior between people of different religious groups because of their differing
religious beliefs.
Religious prejudice is absolute conviction of superiority over all other religions
-Opponents are usually labeled as heathens or infidels, both meaning "unbelievers."
Example:
oppression of religious practices, refusal to hire persons of the opposing religious beliefs, limiting educational opportunities of
children, and banning social interaction between various religions, armed conflicts resulting in destruction of homes, religious sites,
even entire villages, and the death of millions of people
Example: different religious worldview or one that rejects religion all together—may thus pose a threat to the worldview
of religious people, which may result in increased levels of prejudice
Example: Being independent from other countries.
9. Xenophobia-dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
It is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange
Examples:
Feeling uncomfortable around people who fall into a different "group"
Going to great lengths to avoid particular areas
Refusing to be friends with people solely due to their skin color, mode of dress, or other external factors
10. Sizeism or size discrimination is unjust or prejudicial treatment directed at people based on their size.
It is discrimination or prejudice directed against people because of their size and especially because of their weight. This type of
discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because they are considered to be too short or
too tall, to treating overweight and underweight individuals with disdain.
Other examples include being denied a job promotion or fired from a job because of one's weight; being denied certain medical
procedures or provided inferior medical care because of one's weight; or being denied a scholarship, a bank loan or prevented
from renting or buying a home because of one's weight.
Difficulty taking a supervisor seriously or connecting with a teammate who does not fall into the same racial, cultural, or religious
group
There are several ways to detect an author's possible bias and prejudice, for example:
1. The author uses inflammatory language: in the most extreme cases, racial epithets, slurs, etc.;
2. The author consistently makes claims whose larger purpose is to elevate (or demean) one social, ethnic, national, religious, or gender
group as compared to another, or all others;
3. The author consciously presents evidence that serves to tell only one side of an event or issue, purposefully withholding or ignoring
information that may shed the opposing view in a more positive light;
4. The author manufactures, falsifies and/or dishonestly cites evidence in order to present his or her case in a more positive light.
Generalization:
Differentiating biases and prejudices is the most important skill of critical thinking skills, analytical skills and reasoning skills. Learning both
terms helps a writer to avoid invalidation of his/her work.
Prejudice and stereotyping are just two examples of the mental mistakes that result from our tendency to quickly categorize information in the
world around us.
