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 between 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 motivations underlie many of the biases that have been researched over the years. Accordingly, our organizing framework classifies biases into three categories: verification biases, regulation biases, and simplification biases. Individual differences in core evaluations, chronic regulatory focus, and cognitive style and ability help explain how biases come about and why some people are more likely to exhibit some biases. Finally, we introduce a process model that links between the three bias categories and helps integrate findings from the expansive literature on biases. Implications of our theory for managerial cognition and practice are discussed.