Cognitive Biases Incidence in College Students of a Midwestern Institution

Author

Camilo A. Castelblanco Riveros, Northwest Missouri State UniversityFollow

Volume

28

Number

1

Department

Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Date

2022

Abstract

Cognitive biases, including the misinformation effect, cognitive dissonance, and confirmation bias, are misleading ways of reasoning that can alter our perception of reality. Using questionnaires, this study investigated the extent to which these biases are present in the student community of a Midwestern University. It was hypothesized that a moderate proportion of individuals would show cognitive biases based on the literature and previous experiments. Furthermore, it was expected that participants would employ multiple strategies to justify their behavior and thought processes. With a qualitative design, 81 undergraduate students participated in the study. The research design was observational and statistical analysis included descriptive measurements. Results indicated that more than 70% of the students would engage in risky or unproductive behaviors despite knowing the consequences. Similarly, a high proportion of students tended to believe in the information presented on social media after an event had happened. Lastly, a smaller segment of students tended to look for information that supported their beliefs. These results indicate that college students at this institution are susceptible to the use of mental heuristics. Considering the potential adverse outcomes of such actions raises concerns about students’ cognitive and physical well-being.

Keyword

Misinformation effect; cognitive dissonance; confirmation bias;

Discipline

Psychology

Document Type

article

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Castelblanco Riveros, Camilo A. (2022) "Cognitive Biases Incidence in College Students of a Midwestern Institution," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 28: No. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol28/iss1/5