BIASES

Revision Session
Emotional Intelligence
Bias

• Bias is an inclination of temperament or outlook especially a personal and sometimes

unreasoned judgment. (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

• Bias is a prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with
another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. (University of Wisconsin)
Biases that reduce Emotional Intelligence
• Fundamental Attribution Error

• Confirmation Bias
• Halo Effect
First Impression Error
• Horn Effect

• Personal Bias

• Availability Bias

• Inter-Group Bias (Hierarchy Effect)

• Reactance

• Salience
 Halo Effect
• The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our
overall impression of a person influences how we feel
and think about their character.

• Examples Of Halo Effect

• Halo effect of Physical attraction.
• Reputation of a Brand.
• Parental attitude towards their children.
• Educational background
Halo Effect Case Study (Young Love)
In the beginning of a relationship everyone is
on their best behavior. This can create a very
favorable impression of the person.

Chemistry of Love
Oxytocin is the chemical of
Love. Limbic system has a
connection to the pre-frontal
cortex from where it pumps
oxytocin resulting in MPFC
Influence
glow
Women: Oxytocinergic

Men: Dopaminergic
Horn Effect
• It is the exact opposite of Halo effect.

• If our first impression about a person is negative, we tend to ignore his positive
characteristics and concentrate only on the negative ones.

• Emotional Makeup of Horn Effect

• Fear, Jealousy, Resentment

• Chemistry of Horn Effect

• Cortisol and epinephrine dilation
• Perceived stress resulting from horn effect.
Eliminating the Impression Errors
• Shifting the Perspective.

• Reframing

• Feedback from neutral party.

• ‫پ(ہ(ل(ے( م(ش(و(ر(ہ( پ(ھ(ر( ا(س(ت(خ(ا(ر(ہ‬

 Fundamental Attribution Error
• The fundamental attribution error refers to attribute another's actions to their character or
personality, while attributing their own behavior to external situational factors outside of
their control.

If Hassan is late for work, he is lazy. If I

am late for work, it’s because of traffic.

• Serotonin Dilation
• Pakistani husbands are spineless. (case
study discussed in EI class dated 23 rd Oct 2022)
 Salience Bias (related to FAE)
The salience bias describes our tendency to focus on items or information that
are more prominent while ignoring those that do not grab our attention

Imagine you are someone who watches the

news and sees several news stories of violence
in your city. Although your likelihood of being
a victim of violence has not changed, the
memory of violence in your city remains
salient in your mind and makes you feel more
vulnerable when leaving your home.
Ingroup Bias
It is the tendency for people to give preferential treatment to people who
belong to the same group that they do.

We naturally like to be around people

who are like us, however, it can result
in Cross-Cultural Conflicts and not
being fair to people outside our group.

This bias results from Priming

Hierarchy Effect - Serotonin
Confirmation Bias
The confirmation bias describes our underlying tendency to notice, focus on,
and give greater importance to evidence that fits with our existing beliefs.

Political affiliations
Religious affiliations

Gathering information from multiple

sources and critical evaluation can
overcome confirmation bias.
Availability Bias
The availability bias describes our tendency to make snap
judgements based on the most recent information.

When an airline reports a crash,

ticket sales do down until people
forget about the incident.

The availability heuristic can lead

to bad decision-making 
Reactance
The tendency to do the opposite of what someone wants you to do
because you think they are trying to manipulate you.

Be careful not to lose objectivity.

Wisdom springs from reflection, folly

from reaction.
How to be Unbiased
• To be unbiased, you must be 100% fair — you can't have a
favorite, or opinions that would color your judgment.
• Third person point of view.
• Critical Thinking