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bias

BY-uhs /ˈbaɪ.əs/

nounverbB2SATACTGRETOEFLIELTS

generalacademic

A systematic deviation from rationality or objective judgment in decision-making.

Represents repeatable, predictable errors in thinking rather than random, unpredictable mistakes.

The story behind the word. The term came into English from lawn bowling, where a weighted 'bias ball' was engineered with a slanted weight on one side to make it curve across the grass rather than roll straight. Over time, it shifted metaphorically to describe any skewed, non-straight line of human thought.

Word relationships

prejudice: Prejudice usually refers to social hostility toward groups, whereas cognitive bias covers broader processing errors.
partiality: Partiality implies conscious favoritism, while cognitive bias operates largely unconsciously.

objectivity: Objectivity represents neutral, unbiased assessment based strictly on facts.
impartiality: Impartiality means absence of favoritism or perceptual distortion.

Commonly confused with

heuristic: Heuristic is the shortcut mechanism; bias is the systematic deviation produced by relying on that shortcut.

Word family

biased (adjective): Exhibiting systemic prejudice or distortion.
unbiased (adjective): Free from systemic distortion or partiality.

Collocations

cognitive bias
confirmation bias
implicit bias
systematic bias

Idioms & expressions

skewed perspective

Example sentences

"Confirmation bias leads investors to seek out news that supports their pre-existing market hypotheses." Psychology and economics paper
"The survey results reflected selection bias because only dissatisfied customers chose to respond." Corporate policy analysis

Memory hook

A bias cut in tailoring is cut diagonally across the grain—it leans to one side. Bias = A slanted mind that strays from the straight truth.

When not to use

Do not confuse systemic cognitive bias with a simple, one-off arithmetic mistake.

Fun facts

Psychologists have cataloged over 180 distinct cognitive biases affecting human decision-making, from loss aversion to the IKEA effect.