Attentional bias
The tendency of perception to be affected by recurring thoughts
RecallInertia
Pattern
Inertia
Beliefs, habits, or commitments resist updating even when better movement is available.
17 biases
Biases with this pattern
This is the cross-cutting layer that helps the site feel more like a real reference and less like a flat list.
Backfire effect
A tendency to react to disconfirming evidence by strengthening one's previous beliefs
Opinion ReportingInertia
Conservatism bias
The tendency to insufficiently revise one's belief when presented with new evidence
EstimationInertia
Continued influence effect
Misinformation continues to influence memory and reasoning about an event, despite the misinformation having been corrected. cf. misinformation effect, where the original memory is affected by incorrect information received later
RecallInertia
Doubling-back aversion
The tendency for people to avoid retracing their steps or restarting a task, even when doing so would clearly save time or effort, because it feels like undoing past progress rather than making future gains
DecisionInertia
End-of-history illusion
The age-independent belief that one will change less in the future than one has in the past
Opinion ReportingInertia
Endowment effect
The tendency to value something more highly once it is already owned, possessed, or treated as part of the current arrangement.
DecisionInertiaPersonal decisionsMarkets & valuation
Functional fixedness
A tendency limiting a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used
DecisionInertia
Mere exposure effect
The tendency to like, trust, or feel more comfortable with something simply because it has become familiar.
DecisionInertiaMedia & politicsPersonal decisions
Omission bias
The tendency to judge harmful inaction as more acceptable, or less blameworthy, than equally harmful action.
Opinion ReportingInertiaPersonal decisionsPublic policy
Plan continuation bias
Failure to recognize that the original plan of action is no longer appropriate for a changing situation or for a situation that is different from anticipated
DecisionInertia
Semmelweis reflex
The tendency to reject new evidence that contradicts a paradigm
DecisionInertia
Shared information bias
The tendency for group members to spend more time and energy discussing information that all members are already familiar with (i.e., shared information), and less time and energy discussing information that only some members are aware of (i.e., unshared information)
DecisionInertia
Status quo bias
The tendency to prefer the current option, default, or inherited arrangement simply because it is the current option, default, or inherited arrangement.
DecisionInertiaPersonal decisionsTeams & management
Stereotype bias or stereotypical bias
Memory distorted towards stereotypes (e.g., racial or gender)
RecallInertia
Sunk cost effect
The tendency to keep investing in a losing path because of what has already been spent, even when the forward-looking case has weakened.
DecisionInertiaPersonal decisionsTeams & management
Well travelled road effect
The tendency to underestimate the duration taken to traverse oft-travelled routes and overestimate the duration taken to traverse less familiar routes
DecisionInertia