The image above was shared on Twitter/X the other day and I thought it might be worth sharing some thoughts on the subject of cognitive bias and how it affects language teachers. I'm going to take four examples from the list above. But first, to be clear, what is cognitive bias? Here is what the site Simply Psychology says: Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking, affecting how we process information, perceive others, and make decisions. It can lead to irrational thoughts or judgments and is often based on our perceptions, memories, or individual and societal beliefs. Biases are unconscious and automatic processes designed to make decision-making quicker and more efficient. Cognitive biases can be caused by many things, such as heuristics (mental shortcuts), social pressures, and emotions. Broadly speaking, bias is a tendency to lean in favor of or against a person, group, idea, or thing, usually in an unfair way. Biases are natural — they are a product of human nature
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