More on Cognitive Bias - Ten Troublesome Human Instincts or Cognitive Misconceptions cont. 4

4. Generalisation instinct (everyone automatically categorises and generalises - mostly unconsciously; categories are absolutely necessary for us to function as they give structure to our thoughts but this instinct can distort our views, perspective, etc, ie we can mistakenly group things together that are actually very different
"...it can make us assume everything or everyone in one category is similar......it can make us jump to conclusions about a whole category based on a few, or even just one, unusual example..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

This can result in misleading generalisations and stereotypes that result in missed opportunities, unnecessary misunderstandings, etc; it can result in single-mindedness.

How to handle generalisation instinct

- travel (visit and/or live in different countries and regions to get a better understanding of other cultures, ie the way they do things, etc; this will break down generalisations and stereotypes)

- question your categories (do this by

    i) looking for differences within and similarities across groups (especially in large groups
"...country stereotypes simply fall apart when you look at the huge differences within countries and the equally huge similarities between the countries of the same income, independent of culture or religion..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

    ii) realising the limitations of numbers

        a) being aware of the majority (it means more than 50%, ie half)

        b) being aware of exceptional examples (using an example to draw conclusions about a group can be misleading, ie
"...if someone offers you a single example and wants to draw conclusions about a group,, ask for more examples..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

        c) assuming that people are not the average (there can be a wide distribution around the average that can make the average meaningless)

    iii) realising the limitations of generalising from one group to another (don't generalise across incomparable groups
"...when seemingly impregnable logic is  combined with good intentions, it becomes nearly impossible to spot the generalisation error..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

For example, it has been found that wounded soldiers have a better survival rate if they lie on their stomach as it means that their vomit doesn't get stuck in their throat. This was extrapolated for babies, ie best to lie on their stomach when sleeping. Unfortunately, this had the reverse effect, ie increased the risk of dying. Yet lying on their stomachs was standard practice for many years for the way baby should sleep, even after conclusive evidence was provided.

"...When presented with new evidence, we must always be ready to question our previous assumptions and re-evaluate and admit if we were wrong..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

    iv) continually testing your ideas (encourage people to challenge and find weaknesses views, etc)

    v) understanding your limited expertise (only claim expertise in the fields you specialising in; be open to ideas from other fields)

    vi) being aware of simple ideas and simple solutions (welcome complexity; combine ideas; compromise, etc)

NB
"...Recognising that a single perspective can limit your imagination, and remembering that it is better to look at problems from many angles to get a more accurate understanding and find practical solutions..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018)