Question

Mohan follows a strict vegetarian diet and assumes that a majority of his friends and acquaintances prefer a vegetarian lifestyle. He overestimates the number of people who share the same dietary choice as him.

1. Identify the bias shown by Mohan.    (1)
2. Describe any two biases, citing a suitable example for each.  (3)

Answer 1

1. Bias shown by Mohan is False Consensus Effect.
2. Biases:
   1. Self-serving bias is a cognitive bias in which individuals tend to attribute positive events or outcomes to their own character, abilities, or efforts while attributing negative events or failures to external factors, situational influences, or bad luck.
   2. Motivated scepticism is a cognitive bias where individuals tend to be more critical and sceptical of information that contradicts their existing beliefs, values, or preferences.
   3. Automatic vigilance occurs when we automatically turn our attention to something threatening or important to us. Negative information is weighed more heavily than positive information.
   4. Counterfactual thinking is the tendency to create positive alternatives to actual negative outcomes.