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Cognitive Biases

Interactive visualizations exploring the systematic errors in how we think, remember, and decide. Each visualization demonstrates the core mechanism of a bias through direct experience.

Confirmation Bias
We seek evidence that confirms what we already believe and dismiss what contradicts it.
Anchoring Bias
The first number we encounter becomes a reference point that skews all subsequent judgments.
Hindsight Bias
After learning an outcome, we believe we "knew it all along" as memory reconstructs the past.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
Those with low ability overestimate their competence; those with high ability underestimate.
Bandwagon Effect
We adopt beliefs and behaviors because we perceive that many others do.
Spotlight Effect
We drastically overestimate how much others notice our appearance and behavior.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
We continue investing in failing endeavors because of what we've already invested.
Framing Effect
Identical information presented differently leads to different decisions.
Availability Heuristic
We judge frequency by how easily examples come to mind, overweighting vivid events.
Halo Effect
One positive trait colors our perception of unrelated traits, creating a halo of assumptions.
Loss Aversion
Losses hurt approximately twice as much as equivalent gains feel good.
Recency Bias
Recent events weigh more heavily than older ones in memory and judgment.
Survivorship Bias
We focus on survivors while ignoring the silent evidence of failures.
Clustering Illusion
We see patterns and "hot streaks" in random data that aren't really there.
Attentional Blink
After spotting something important, we have a 200-500ms blind spot for the next thing.
Black Swan Blindness
We systematically underestimate rare, catastrophic events because normalcy dominates our experience.
Narrative Fallacy
We create coherent stories to explain random events, making chaos feel orderly.
Authority Bias
We trust people with titles and credentials—even when irrelevant to the domain.
Social Proof
We look to others' behavior to determine correct action, assuming the crowd knows best.
Decoy Effect
Adding an inferior third option changes preference between the original two.