Prone to Bias: Towards a Theory of Individual Differences in Bias Manifestation

Abstract

We adopt an individual-differences perspective and introduce a model that links types of biases and types of people. We propose that biases are created in the course of people's attempts to satisfy basic motivations, and that three such motivation categories underlie many of the biases discussed in the literature. Accordingly, our organizing framework integrates findings from previous research and classifies biases into: verification biases, simplification biases, and regulation biases. Individual differences in core self-evaluations, in approach/avoidance temperament, and in cognitive ability and style help explain how biases come about and why some people are more likely to exhibit particular biases.