How can intelligent people be fooled by fake news? People who produce disinformation rely on combinations of cognitive biases that all people experience occasionally, including:
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Implicit bias: Bias that results from the tendency to process information based on unconscious associations and feelings, even when these are contrary to one's conscious or declared beliefs. Example: In the USA, if someone says, "Peanut butter and...?" most people will complete that sentence with the word "jelly" because most Americans were exposed to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as children. That peanut butter and jelly go together is a learned, unconscious association. |
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Blind spot bias: Bias that results from the tendency of an individual to fail to recognize that they may have biases. Example: Since 'bias' is a very charged word often associated with prejudice, most people don't even want to think they may have biases, so they refuse to examine any even innocent preconceptions they have learned through their cultural exposure. |
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Confirmation bias: Bias that results from the tendency to look for information or information sources that support your existing beliefs and reject data that goes against what you believe. Example: When a person with left-leaning political views only reads news articles from left-leaning news sources, they are subject to confirmation bias. |
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Anchor bias: Bias that results from the tendency to base one's conclusions on information gained early on in the decision-making process. Example: When a person reads only a headline, but not the whole article or the caption of a tweet/image, but does not examine the tweeted link or image more closely. |
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Conservatism bias: Bias that results from an unwillingness to revise one's beliefs when presented with new/different information. Example: A person who continues to believe in a conspiracy theory even after it has been disproven with evidence. |
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Normalcy bias: Bias that results from the belief that the future will closely resemble the past because the past is "normal." Example: A person who believes that the economic situation they grew up with should never change throughout their life, despite the fact that it is normal for the economy to fluctuate. |
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Halo/Horn effect: Bias that results from one's tendency to believe people they have a positive opinion of and disbelieve people they have a unfavorable opinion of. Example: A person loves a television personality and therefore believes any product they endorse must be worthwhile. |
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Bandwagon effect: Bias that results from the tendency to believe something because a lot of other people do. Example: Giving more credence to something that has been re-posted or thumbed-up many times. |
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Exposure bias: Bias that results from the tendency for repeated exposure to enhance perception of something. Example: When you repeatedly see the same commercial, you become more and more likely to favor the product its is selling. |
