Overview
One can view cognitive bias from an evolutionary perspective.
"Nothing in Biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Theodosius Dobzhansky
This is the same perspective from which Evolutionary Psychology views cognition (generally, before considering bias). From this perspective, cognition is something that evolved to suit the evolutionary context of our ancestors (thus placing survival and reproduction at the root of the causal tree).
The theory would hold that cognitive biases were once a set of useful heuristics (such as the avoidance of danger) that became hard-wired into our brains through the process of natural selection.
While it is difficult to test this theory, it can provide a useful lens through which to view the subject and organize one's understanding. Below are a few kinds of cognitive bias that have, in our opinion, an immediately plausible basis in evolution. In all of these cases, the bias is in favor of a cognition that, while perhaps inaccurate, would reduce risk.
Concepts
| Name | Description | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Loss Aversion | The perceived disutility of giving up an object is greater than the utility associated with acquiring it. | [1] [2] |
| Anthropomorphism or Personification | The tendency to characterize animals, objects, and abstract concepts as possessing human-like traits, emotions, and intentions. | [1] [3] |
| Agent Detection | The inclination to presume the purposeful intervention of a sentient or intelligent agent. | [1] |
| Declinism | The predisposition to view the past favorably (rosy retrospection) and future negatively. | [1] [4] |
| Hostile Attribution Bias | The "hostile attribution bias" is the tendency to interpret others' behaviors as having hostile intent, even when the behavior is ambiguous or benign. | [1] [5] |
Perspective
What might this then tell us about how to address cognitive bias? One very general perspective is to work to update our ancient intuitive defaults to more accurately reflect our modern context while still fulfilling the various needs that these (plausibly) evolutionary heuristics serve. In subsequent sections we'll learn about such fundamental needs and processes followed by discussion of bias in the context of social interaction, remembering, interpreting, and deciding.
References & Acknowledgements
[1] Wikipedia contributors. "List of cognitive biases." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Jul. 2020. Web. 23 Jul. 2020. link
[2] (Kahneman, Knetsch & Thaler 1991, p. 193) Daniel Kahneman, together with Amos Tversky, coined the term "loss aversion."
[3] Hutson, Matthew (2012). The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane. New York: Hudson Street Press. pp. 165–81. ISBN 978-1-101-55832-4.
[4] Quartz SR, The State Of The World Isn't Nearly As Bad As You Think, Edge Foundation, Inc., retrieved 2016-02-17
[5] Anderson KB, Graham LM (2007). "Hostile Attribution Bias". Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 446–447. doi:10.4135/9781412956253. ISBN 9781412916707.
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