Diplomacy & Politics Glossary

A cognitive bias where individuals rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions.

People rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions, even if it is irrelevant or misleading.

The tendency to attribute others’ behaviors to their character while attributing one’s own actions to situational factors.

The tendency to attribute others' actions to their character while attributing one's own actions to external factors.

Explains how individuals infer the causes of behaviors and events, affecting interpretation of information.

A self-reinforcing process where a collective belief gains more plausibility through repeated public expression.

A cognitive bias where people judge the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind, often leading to distorted perceptions of reality.

When presented with evidence contradicting their beliefs, individuals may hold on to their original views even more strongly.

The tendency to recognize biases in others' thinking while failing to see one's own biases.

The process of favoring information that confirms preexisting beliefs and ignoring contradictory evidence.

A repetitive cycle where exposure to information confirms existing beliefs, reinforcing those beliefs and limiting openness to opposing views.

The psychological discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or when new information contradicts existing beliefs.

The total amount of mental effort being used in working memory during information processing.

A framework explaining how the amount of information processed affects learning and decision-making effectiveness.

The tendency to conserve mental energy by relying on shortcuts and heuristics rather than thorough analysis.

A short assessment measuring the tendency to override intuitive responses and engage in reflective thinking.

Bias introduced when information is interpreted or presented without considering the full context, leading to misunderstanding or misrepresentation.

Selecting only data that supports a particular conclusion while ignoring data that contradicts it, leading to biased results.

The cognitive bias where initial information serves as a reference point influencing subsequent decisions and judgments.

Decisional framing shapes how choices are presented to influence perception and decision-making outcomes.

The tendency for decision-makers to be influenced by how options are presented rather than the options themselves.

The tendency to reject information that contradicts existing beliefs, affecting openness in negotiation and persuasion contexts.

A situation where beliefs are amplified by communication and repetition inside a closed system, limiting exposure to differing views.

A cognitive bias where people believe something is true based on emotional responses rather than objective evidence or logic.

An informational environment where relevant voices are excluded unintentionally, leading to isolated knowledge and reinforcement of existing beliefs.

The tendency to overestimate how much others share one's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

A psychological phenomenon where a person recalls something that did not happen or recalls it differently from the way it actually happened.

The way information is presented influences decisions and judgments, often leading to different conclusions from the same facts.

How the presentation of options influences decision-making and agreement outcomes.

The cognitive bias where people's decisions and judgments are influenced by how information is presented rather than just the facts themselves.

The influence on decision-making and perception caused by how information or choices are presented or structured.

The tendency of groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of their members.

A mental shortcut or rule of thumb that simplifies decision-making but can lead to cognitive biases.

Hindsight bias causes people to see past events as more predictable than they actually were after they have happened.

A process where individuals adopt beliefs or actions because others have done so, regardless of their own information.

A state of mental overload and exhaustion caused by exposure to excessive amounts of information, reducing the ability to process and make decisions.

A psychological approach where exposing people to weakened counterarguments strengthens their resistance to persuasion or misinformation.

The ladder of inference describes the mental process of selecting data, interpreting it, and drawing conclusions that affect communication and decision-making.

The cognitive bias where past moral behavior makes individuals more likely to engage in unethical actions without feeling guilt.

Processing information in a biased way to support desired conclusions or beliefs.

The tendency to interpret information in a way that fits a coherent story, sometimes ignoring contradictory evidence.

Creating a simplified story to explain complex events, ignoring randomness or uncertainty.

The psychological process where individuals become mentally immersed in a story, influencing their beliefs and attitudes.

The tendency to focus more on negative information than positive, influencing perception and decision-making.

Ignoring or avoiding information perceived as unpleasant or threatening to one’s beliefs or well-being.

Overcoming confirmation bias requires actively seeking and considering information that challenges existing beliefs to improve decision-making.

Overwhelmed by excessive information or options, leading to inability to make decisions.

The impact of peers on an individual's opinions, beliefs, or behaviors, especially in social media contexts.

A growing division in opinions and beliefs caused by social influence and selective exposure to information.

Tendency to better remember information presented at the beginning (primacy) or end (recency) of a message or presentation.

Primacy effect causes information presented first to have greater influence on perception and memory.

Exposure to a stimulus influences response to a subsequent related stimulus, affecting perception and decisions.

Exposure to one stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus, affecting perception and behavior.

Assuming others share the same beliefs, emotions, or preferences as oneself.

The tendency to focus on the most noticeable or emotionally striking information when making decisions or judgments.

The tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms existing beliefs and ignore contradictory evidence.

Bias introduced when individuals select themselves into a group, causing the sample to be unrepresentative of the population.

The tendency of respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others, distorting survey or interview results.

The influence of others' actions or opinions on an individual's beliefs or behaviors.

Continuing a behavior or endeavor because of previously invested resources, despite new evidence suggesting it is unwise.

Focusing on successful examples while ignoring failures, leading to distorted conclusions about reality.

Believing that others are more influenced by media messages than oneself.

Implicit attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions without conscious awareness.

The tendency to seek out information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring disconfirming evidence.

The tendency to remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, affecting attention to information.

Believing that one person’s gain is inherently another’s loss, limiting cooperative solutions.