Cognitive bias

Cognitive Biases in Health Policy

In the field of health policy and field epidemiology, cognitive biases can potentially affect decision-making and policy implementation. These biases are systematic errors in thinking that affect the judgments and decisions that people make. In health policy, these biases can lead to suboptimal outcomes, including delayed responses, under-preparedness, and inefficient use of resources. Understanding these biases is crucial for public health professionals to ensure effective policy and practice.

Definition

Cognitive biases refer to the predisposition to think in certain ways that can lead to systematic deviations from a standard of rationality or good judgment. These are ingrained mental shortcuts, used to speed up the process of making decisions, especially under pressure. However, these shortcuts can often lead to errors in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or other cognitive processes.

Common Biases in Health Policy

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. This can lead to overemphasis on information that aligns with a policy-maker's pre-existing beliefs and neglect of contradicting evidence (Nickerson, 1998).

Availability Bias

Availability bias refers to the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events that come readily to mind. In health policy, this can lead to overemphasis on recent, high-profile health events, while neglecting more widespread but less visible problems (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973).

Overconfidence Bias

Overconfidence bias involves excessive confidence in one's own answers to questions. In a health policy context, this could manifest as policy-makers being overly confident in their ability to predict outcomes or in their understanding of complex epidemiological data.

Framing Effect

Framing effect is an example of cognitive bias, where people react differently to a particular choice depending on whether it is presented as a loss or as a gain. Health policy makers may frame health issues differently depending on their perception of public opinion, political considerations, or their own biases.

Addressing Cognitive Biases in Health Policy

Awareness and acknowledgment of cognitive biases is the first step towards addressing them. Strategies for dealing with biases include:

1. Peer Review and Collaboration: Sharing work with others for review can help identify biases that one may not be aware of.
2. Promoting Diversity: A diverse team can bring in a variety of perspectives, reducing the risk of biases stemming from a too narrow viewpoint.
3. Training and Education: Training on cognitive biases and their effects on decision-making can help public health professionals to be aware of these pitfalls.

Cognitive biases can influence health policy at all levels, from local health departments to national health agencies. A better understanding of these biases can lead to improved decision-making and more effective health policies.

References

• This page was written by ChatGPT on June 2, 2023 and edited by Arnold Bosman
• Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology, 2(2), 175–220.
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1973). Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability. Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), 207–232.