Reference no: EM131233016

According to our text, cognition refers to the mental processes involved in thinking, including attending to information, processing information, ordering information to create meaning that is the basis for acting, learning, and other human activities. Studies consistently document more than a dozen common biases, or systematic errors of perception and judgment, that, used inappropriately, diminish the quality of thinking by limiting the amount and richness of information processing. Cognitive bias has been defined as a way of thinking that influences reasoning and decision making, sometimes resulting in inaccurate judgments. The four main categories of cognitive bias presented in the text include: Anchoring: Decision makers bring prior beliefs, or orientations, to the analysis process and focus on selected interests and outcomes—often ignoring conflicting or subsequent information. During decision making, anchoring occurs when individuals use an initial piece of information (i.e. anchor) to make decisions, even if the anchor is irrelevant or subsequent information conflicts. Availability bias: Decision makers reduce problems to simpler constructs, seek fewer alternatives, and rely on intuition over rational analysis. Paying more attention to data that are easily available (e.g., most recent and therefore most memorable) while neglecting less readily available data. Insensitivity to outcome probabilities: Decision makers rely on subjective/descriptive information and ignore rational probabilities of outcomes. They tend to see problems as unique, thereby not relevant to the outcomes of past experiences. Overconfidence: Decision makers tend to be overly optimistic—overestimating their level of control—believing they can manage and correct the consequences of their decisions along the way. For this exercise, I. Answer the following questions in your own words for EACH of the four categories listed above: Describe one decision-making scenario that illustrates how this bias might be exhibited in the field of health care (i.e. direct patient care, health care management, etc.). Explain why this is a problem. List steps that a person might take to prevent or mitigate this bias from occurring. II. Research and summarize in your words another type of cognitive bias (or bias in decision-making) not presented in the text. Make sure to include an APA formatted reference list to document your source.