Mental Models: Cognitive Biases

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that can affect our decision-making. They are mental shortcuts that our brains take to process information quickly, but they can sometimes lead us to make irrational or inaccurate judgments. Understanding these biases can help us recognize and avoid their influence on our thinking.

The Spotlight Effect

Fundamental Attribution Error

Sunk Cost Fallacy

The spotlight effect illustrated by a girl who has spilled a drink on herself at a party, and feels like everyone is staring and judging her, while people are not paying much attention to the spill.

Illustration of the Fundamental Attribution Error through a woman who is late for work look at her wrist watch in a stressed demeanor, which could be interpreted as she is lazy or irresponsible, or having a difficult time getting to work due to traffic or childcare issues. There is often more than one explanation for someone's behavior.

Illustration of the Sunk Cost Fallacy through a paper boat made from a dollar bill, and dragged down by an anchor shaped like a dollar sign, seen through transparent water.

Solomon’s Paradox

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Overconfidence Bias

Illustration of Solomon's Paradox through an old man giving a young person in his early 30s some advice, which he probably has not been able to follow himself.

Diagram illustrating the Dunning-Kruger Effect along the axes of confidence and experience.

Self-Serving Bias
Herd Mentality
Loss Aversion
Framing Cognitive Bias
Narrative Fallacy
Anchoring Bias
Confirmation Bias
Hindsight Bias
Representativeness Heuristic

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