b'Chapter 9 1.Actor-observer bias: actor-observer bias is a difference between how we explain the actions of others and how we explain our own. People tend to say that another person did something because of thedistinctivemarksoftheircharacterorsomeotherinternal factor.Incontrast,peopleusuallyattributetheirownactionsto externalfactorssuchasthecircumstancestheywereinatthe time.2.Anchoring bias: anchoring bias is the tendency to rely heavily on the first information you learn when evaluating something. In other words, what you learn at the start of an investigation often has a greater impact on your judgment than information you learn later.3.Attentional Bias: attentional bias probably evolved in humans as a survivalmechanism.Tosurvive,humansmustdodgeoravoid threats. Among the millions of pieces of information that bombard the senses daily, they must identify those that could be important for their health, happiness, and safety.This highly adapted survival skill can become biased if you start to focus your attention too much on one type of information, while neglecting other types of information.4.Availability heuristic: a heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows peopletosolveproblemsandmakejudgmentsquicklyand efficiently.Thisexperientialandobservationalthinkingshortens decision-makingtimeandallowspeopletofunctionwithout constantly stopping to think about their next course of action.However,therearebothprosandconsofheuristics.While heuristicsareusefulinmanysituations,theycanalsoleadto cognitivebiases.Forexample,ifyoucanimmediatelythinkof severalfactsthatsupportajudgment,youmightbeinclinedto think that judgment is correct.Another common bias is the tendency to give more credit to ideas thatcomeeasilytomind.Wheninformationisreadilyavailable around you, you are more likely to remember it. Easily accessible information in your memory seems more reliable. Forexample,ifapersonseesseveralheadlinesaboutshark attacks in a coastal area, that person may think that the risk of shark attacks is higher than it is.274Germain Decelles'