Week 6: Biases of the self

3.10.09

Feedback on the feedback…

Review

Self◦Efficacy

◦Concept

◦Esteem/Worth

◦Schemas

Where we are & where we are going

MotivationPerson perception◦Know thyself◦Biases of the self◦ Perceivers◦ Perceived◦Complicating situations

Interpersonal relationships

Overview of the dayDebriefing the debateIntuitive scientist-related biasesSelf-related biasesBarry Manilow related biasesMechanisms of biasMock up a studyPreview

Goal for todayFigure out which biases you think you

need to worry about in the educational environments that you will inhabit

Come up with at least 1 strategy for ameliorating one of these biases

Get experience designing a study that would test whether one such strategy would indeed work to ameliorate said bias

5

Debriefing the debateWhat arguments do people remember?◦ Lyn’s picture at the board regarding self-

efficacy Possibly salient due to the visual, her movement

from back to front of room, her personality, and because it framed a big picture argument

◦ In the groups that had male members, the males usually started or led the conversation

◦ Self-efficacy is the only teachable dimension debated

6

Debriefing the debateWere roles used? How?◦ Kimya’s group started out with roles but

almost immediately everyone took on multiple roles

◦ Hypothetically… Roles might have led more members of the group

to participate because they would have felt responsible to contribute to their group because no one else had their role

If roles were assigned randomly you might miss out on skills or strengths of individual members

7

Debriefing the debateMotivational traits of the task

◦ The debate structure seemed to focus students’ minds on the tensions between the different sides

◦ Being the last group might make students less motivated to listen to different sides and more motivated to think about their own argument

◦ Motivation might be related which side a student is required to argue in favor of.

◦ Tension around how seriously to take the role play and how to communicate the content of an argument was motivating

◦ The degree to which competition and cooperation are balance may impact motivation.

8

Intuitive scientist biases

9

Where will the class estimate that there are more murders: Detroit or Michigan? (between subjects design)

10

Significa

ntly m

ore in M

I

More in

MI

About the sa

me

More in

Detroit

Significa

ntly m

ore in Det...

7%

50%

14%

25%

4%

1. Significantly more in MI

2. More in MI3. About the same4. More in Detroit5. Significantly

more in Detroit

Availability Heuristic (of Murders)

Which answer did you put down?

12

Yes No

80%

20%1. Yes2. No

Recall this question… Later this semester I will flip a (fair) coin. With the coin toss you will be given these odds: 50% chance that you will win $150,50% chance that you will lose $100

Would you accept this gamble: Yes or No?

What % of your classmates put the same answer as you?

13

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

0%

4%

12%

8%

0%

12%

31%

23%

8%

4%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

False Consensus & UniquenessConsensus – we overestimate how much

others share our opinions & negative actions◦“Eat at Joe’s”

Uniqueness – we underestimate that others share our positive actions/abilities and virtues

Bias scorecardSelf serving◦ False consensus◦ False uniqueness

Intuitive scientist◦Availability heuristic◦ Illusory correlation◦ Illusion of control◦Confirmation bias◦ Ignoring N◦ Ignoring baseline rates◦ Loss aversion◦ First instinct fallacy

15

Biases of the self

16

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on social skills?

17

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

15%

37%

26%

19%

4%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on motivation to do well in school?

18 0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

0% 0% 0% 0%

10%

48%

28%

4%

10%

0%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on intelligence?

19

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

0% 0% 0%

10%

7%

17%17%

28%

14%

7%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on attractiveness?

20

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

0% 0% 0%

4% 4%4%

18%

25%

21%

25%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on auto-mechanics?

21

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100%

0%

25%

29%

21%

0%0%0%

7%

4%

14%

1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better than average:What is the average % of your classmates on knowledge of social taboos in E. European countries?

22

0-9%

10-19%

20-29%

30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

60-69%

70-79%

80-89%

90-100

%

4%

22%

11%

22%

0%0%

4%

0%

11%

26%1. 0-9%2. 10-19%3. 20-29%4. 30-39%5. 40-49%6. 50-59%7. 60-69%8. 70-79%9. 80-89%10. 90-100%

Better-than-averageClassic Lake Wobegon effectKruger’s amendment: Lake Wobegon Be

Gone!Overconfidence in social predictionUnskilled & unaware of it◦ Individuals who lack the metacognitive

awareness to assess their own skills

Hindsight biasEvents are obvious after you know the real

answer.

Question of the Day #2Is anybody related to/friends with Barry Manilow?*

*Barry was not harmed at all during the Gilovich et al study, though it is possible that his self-esteem would take a hit if he were an avid reader of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Spotlight Effect

Class Discussion: Connecting the spotlight effect (SE) and the classroomStudent participation in class:◦When someone makes a mistake and thinks everyone else

is focused on that mistake, it is difficult to re-engage them.Teacher and the spotlight effect:◦ Teachers tend to avoid teaching in front of each other; making

them aware of the SE may make them more comfortable◦ The SE might help teachers reflect on their own practice but it

can be overwhelming too Thinking that actions are shameful and unforgettable to other people

◦ When teachers know their material really well they may experience habituation in more easily so that they are not as influenced by the SE Experienced teachers might habituate to the SE, allowing them to

develop habits of teaching that do not promote learning

Spotlight on connections to the classroom

Implications for education◦Students

Speaking up/participating in class (teens) Teacher calling attention to student publicly

◦Teachers Aren’t they actually in the spotlight?

Implications for theories◦Leary & sociometer hypothesis◦Performance goals

Bias scorecardSelf serving◦ False consensus◦ False uniqueness◦Better than average &

overconfidence effects◦Hindsight bias◦ Spotlight effect

Intuitive scientist◦Availability heuristic◦ Illusory correlation◦ Illusion of control◦Confirmation bias◦ Ignoring N◦ Ignoring baseline rates◦ Loss aversion◦ First instinct fallacy

29

Class Discussion- Which bias is most worrisome?

Better than average & overconfidence effects: ◦ May lead students to underestimate how much they prepare or work

Ignoring N and baseline rates: ◦ May lead teachers to stereotyping about certain types of students as a

result of interactions with a small number of children like him/herConfirmation bias:

◦ A teacher may feel that he/she is a really great teacher because some of the students are succeeding and that it is the students’ fault when they are not succeeding

Having teachers observe each other and give feedback about teaching practices with the intent to look for ways to reframe the

Having teachers observe the struggling students in other classes where they behave differently

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Mechanisms: Cognitive consistencyPotential explanation for bias & other odd

behaviorsCognitive dissonanceSelf-perception theoryInsufficient justification in education (turning play into work)

To rememberSelf Stuff

◦ Self-concept/self-schema◦ Self-esteem◦ Self-efficacy◦ Self-knowledge

Errors/tools of intuitive scientists◦ Availability heuristic◦ Illusory correlation◦ Illusion of control◦ Confirmation bias◦ Ignoring N◦ Ignoring baseline rates◦ Loss aversion◦ First instinct fallacy

Self-serving bias◦ False consensus◦ False uniqueness◦ Better than average &

overconfidence effects◦ Hindsight bias◦ Spotlight effect

Mechanisms◦ Anchoring & adjusting◦ Self-referencing effect◦ Self-fulfilling prophecy◦ Cognitive

consistency/dissonance

For 3/17…Person perception (social perspective

taking)◦Ability & motivation◦Fiske – overview of social cognition &

understanding others; cognitive misers◦Ames – empirical study; focuses on 2 strategies

we use: stereotyping; anchoring & adjusting Why do educators need to be good at this? To what extent/in what ways do students need to be

able to do this?Wittipedia