Much of the conversation surrounding behavioural science in government focuses on using psychology to adjust policies to make them more effective for citizens.
But this tool is meant to show public servants how they can start using behavioural science right away, in their everyday tasks.
Cognitive biases are instinctive and systematic logical errors in our thinking that come from heuristics — mental “shortcuts” we use to process information and solve problems more quickly. These adaptive mechanisms aren’t always bad, but they do lead to real consequences in policy making and innovation.
This tool helps your quickly grasp several common cognitive biases, how they impact government, and strategies to mitigate their negative effects. It also features several accessible ways you can adjust your mindset and daily practices immediately.
It’s not possible to fully eliminate cognitive biases from our thinking, and they're often helpful in getting through life. However, being aware of their impacts on decision making and perception can be valuable for increasing the effectiveness of policies and the government efficiency. Further, purposely challenging these biases when brainstorming or problem solving can generate valuable new perspectives. The following resources provide more detailed information on cognitive biases and ways to address them, as well as behavioural science in government in general.
More reading
The Behavioural Insights Team “Using behavioural science to improve how governments make decisions”
A detailed yet accessible explanation of several cognitive obstacles and solutions described in the quiz.
16 cognitive biases that can kill your decision making
A brief discussion of a few biases and general approaches to tackling them.
Functional Fixedness Stops You From Having Innovative Ideas
An explanation of functional fixedness.
How To Overcome Cognitive Biases And Make Better Decisions
A discussion of biases and broad concepts for addressing them that connect to some suggestions in the quiz.
How to overcome cognitive bias.
A look at cognitive bias in the context of risk and a description of more objective risk analysis techniques.
How to Reduce Bias In Decision-Making
A brief presentation describing cognitive biases and a problem solving process to address them.
How To Overcome Cognitive Bias And Use It To Your Advantage
Suggestions for confronting anchoring and confirmation bias.
How brain biases prevent climate change.
An explanation of biases in the context of combating climate change.
An in-depth guide to red teaming, a suggested solution to group reinforcement and intergroup barriers, from the UK Ministry of Defense.
A psychology research paper describing optimism bias and reference class forecasting.
A study showing how awareness of cognitive biases can mitigate their effects on decision making.
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