Page 18 - Management 17 (1)
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r Rižnar | Students Beware!
With 200 entries, the list of cognitive biases is cording to Kahneman, our minds do not naturally
rather long, but I will focus on those that I believe rely on logical, rational and critical thinking pro-
are the most harmful in the context of learning cesses.
and teaching:
Among the biases found in teachers and stu-
• Optimism bias makes us consistently un- dents, confirmation bias is found everywhere. Af-
dervalue the costs and the duration of al- ter years of practice, it is not particularly diffi-
most everything we do. Teachers are often cult to believe that what we haves always done is
overoptimistic about the role of technology the right way of doing it. An example of confir-
in teaching, or we may occasionally see a cer- mation bias, combined with the status quo bias
tain teaching methodology as the best – if (the tendency to like things to stay the same
not only – possible (say, project-based learn- way) is the damaging fine-tuning of Business
ing). Availability bias – is about ease of re- English courses at Slovenian business and eco-
call and more exposure to certain events or nomics higher education institutions. It is so
knowledge. In other words, we base our deci- strong a bias that nothing has changed since the
sions upon easily available recent knowledge late 1990s in all higher education institutions in
Slovenia, except, maybe, one: The Faculty of Man-
• Bandwagon effect makes us believe things be- agement of the University of Primorska.
cause many people believe the same: if many
teachers believe that learning styles really Teachers, too, love to be right, so we make
exist, the idea remains alive years after it sense of the world by seeking patterns they are
has been debunked. Here, as elsewhere, a familiar with. This may explain why so many
healthy dose of scepticism may help. teachers are keenly interested in one, and one
only, method of teaching, say, project work. While
• Confirmation bias – the propensity to search project work can certainly help students learn
for, interpret, focus on, and remember infor- certain things more effectively, it cannot be con-
mation in a way that confirms our precon- sidered the only method for teaching all subject
ceptions. This seems to be the most damag- matter for all courses taught at a faculty.
ing bias, as it leads us to look for evidence
confirming what we already know or think, Maybe some teachers (and considerably more
by ignoring any piece of evidence that seems education policy makers) are victims to Dunning-
to support alternate views. Testing is good Kruger Effect, according to which the less one
for students, said a teacher, now they are knows, the more likely one is to perceive one-
working hard to find supportive information self as an expert. Many students at all levels of
only. education are familiar with the illusory superi-
ority of some of their teachers and vice versa,
• Stereotyping – expecting a member of a group who are unable to recognize their own lack of
to have certain characteristics without ac- skills/knowledge/understanding necessary for
tual information about that individual. Yes, effective teaching/learning.
of course, boys are better at math.
The tendency to be overoptimistic and to over-
• False consensus effect – we overestimate the estimate favourable and pleasing outcomes is
degree to which others agree with them. called optimism bias. Unrealistic optimism of
Think about meetings and you will find myr- unexperienced teachers has been a topic of sev-
iad situations when participants reach false eral studies (Weinstein 1980; Kulik and Mahler
conclusions. 1987; Weinstein 1988; Kearns 1995). On the other
hand, high performance expectations among low
Both students and teachers are prone to sev- scoring students have also been discussed by re-
eral biases, as a general ‘law of least effort’ ap- searchers (Richman 2010), but it seems that too
plies to teachers as much as to other human be- little has been written about the overoptimistic
ings. We often allow ourselves to be guided by im- bias of education policy makers and seasoned
pressions and feelings and have high confidence teachers.
in our intuitive beliefs. Even when we are wrong,
we are confident that we are right. Both teachers Framing bias (using a too narrow approach to
and education policy makers are prone to employ- solving a situation or issue) and substitution bias
ing System 1 (which is fast, automatic, frequent, (being prone to substituting a difficult question
emotional, stereotypic and subconscious) when with a simple one) can also be found in educators
System 2 (which is slow, effortful, infrequent, cal- and education policy makers. The question How
culating and conscious) should be employed. Ac- could we improve higher education? Is answered
18 management 17 (2022) številka 1
With 200 entries, the list of cognitive biases is cording to Kahneman, our minds do not naturally
rather long, but I will focus on those that I believe rely on logical, rational and critical thinking pro-
are the most harmful in the context of learning cesses.
and teaching:
Among the biases found in teachers and stu-
• Optimism bias makes us consistently un- dents, confirmation bias is found everywhere. Af-
dervalue the costs and the duration of al- ter years of practice, it is not particularly diffi-
most everything we do. Teachers are often cult to believe that what we haves always done is
overoptimistic about the role of technology the right way of doing it. An example of confir-
in teaching, or we may occasionally see a cer- mation bias, combined with the status quo bias
tain teaching methodology as the best – if (the tendency to like things to stay the same
not only – possible (say, project-based learn- way) is the damaging fine-tuning of Business
ing). Availability bias – is about ease of re- English courses at Slovenian business and eco-
call and more exposure to certain events or nomics higher education institutions. It is so
knowledge. In other words, we base our deci- strong a bias that nothing has changed since the
sions upon easily available recent knowledge late 1990s in all higher education institutions in
Slovenia, except, maybe, one: The Faculty of Man-
• Bandwagon effect makes us believe things be- agement of the University of Primorska.
cause many people believe the same: if many
teachers believe that learning styles really Teachers, too, love to be right, so we make
exist, the idea remains alive years after it sense of the world by seeking patterns they are
has been debunked. Here, as elsewhere, a familiar with. This may explain why so many
healthy dose of scepticism may help. teachers are keenly interested in one, and one
only, method of teaching, say, project work. While
• Confirmation bias – the propensity to search project work can certainly help students learn
for, interpret, focus on, and remember infor- certain things more effectively, it cannot be con-
mation in a way that confirms our precon- sidered the only method for teaching all subject
ceptions. This seems to be the most damag- matter for all courses taught at a faculty.
ing bias, as it leads us to look for evidence
confirming what we already know or think, Maybe some teachers (and considerably more
by ignoring any piece of evidence that seems education policy makers) are victims to Dunning-
to support alternate views. Testing is good Kruger Effect, according to which the less one
for students, said a teacher, now they are knows, the more likely one is to perceive one-
working hard to find supportive information self as an expert. Many students at all levels of
only. education are familiar with the illusory superi-
ority of some of their teachers and vice versa,
• Stereotyping – expecting a member of a group who are unable to recognize their own lack of
to have certain characteristics without ac- skills/knowledge/understanding necessary for
tual information about that individual. Yes, effective teaching/learning.
of course, boys are better at math.
The tendency to be overoptimistic and to over-
• False consensus effect – we overestimate the estimate favourable and pleasing outcomes is
degree to which others agree with them. called optimism bias. Unrealistic optimism of
Think about meetings and you will find myr- unexperienced teachers has been a topic of sev-
iad situations when participants reach false eral studies (Weinstein 1980; Kulik and Mahler
conclusions. 1987; Weinstein 1988; Kearns 1995). On the other
hand, high performance expectations among low
Both students and teachers are prone to sev- scoring students have also been discussed by re-
eral biases, as a general ‘law of least effort’ ap- searchers (Richman 2010), but it seems that too
plies to teachers as much as to other human be- little has been written about the overoptimistic
ings. We often allow ourselves to be guided by im- bias of education policy makers and seasoned
pressions and feelings and have high confidence teachers.
in our intuitive beliefs. Even when we are wrong,
we are confident that we are right. Both teachers Framing bias (using a too narrow approach to
and education policy makers are prone to employ- solving a situation or issue) and substitution bias
ing System 1 (which is fast, automatic, frequent, (being prone to substituting a difficult question
emotional, stereotypic and subconscious) when with a simple one) can also be found in educators
System 2 (which is slow, effortful, infrequent, cal- and education policy makers. The question How
culating and conscious) should be employed. Ac- could we improve higher education? Is answered
18 management 17 (2022) številka 1
