Confirmation Bias

[timsk]

A favour . . .
Does anyone know if psychologists have a name to describe a condition or syndrome whereby person A is inclined to believe person B (even though person B spouts drivel) based on person B's professional qualifications, social status, supposed expert knowledge etc.(even though they may know very little)? The nearest I can get to it is confirmation bias - but I know that's not right. Any ideas?
Tim.

 

[Mr. Charts]

It's described by professionals as TIPS Trusting In Politicians Syndrome. It's endemic and incurable, though it diminishes with time and life experience in a minority of sufferers.

 

[Mr. Charts]

Aka Gullibility Syndrome

 

[dbphoenix]

Richard comes close to it re gullibility. It's not "bias" per se but rather a conditioned response much like prejudice. You'd want to know more about Person A's parents.

 

[postman]

A favour . . .
Does anyone know if psychologists have a name to describe a condition or syndrome whereby person A is inclined to believe person B (even though person B spouts drivel) based on person B's professional qualifications, social status, supposed expert knowledge etc.(even though they may know very little)? The nearest I can get to it is confirmation bias - but I know that's not right. Any ideas?
Tim.

The phrase you are looking for is "Halo effect"
It is believed humans make decisions based on one of 3 things rational, spiritual, desire. Plato's tripartite soul. Anyone not using their rational mind is being led by a spiritual or physical desire.

People can be very rational and still suffer from the halo effect because intelligence in humans is compartmental, think cognitive dissonance.

The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures shows how far this effect can go!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

It was studied by the Russians and Americans for use in propaganda.

PS, you will believe this because I'm such a good trader.

 

[counter_violent]

A favour . . .
Does anyone know if psychologists have a name to describe a condition or syndrome whereby person A is inclined to believe person B (even though person B spouts drivel) based on person B's professional qualifications, social status, supposed expert knowledge etc.(even though they may know very little)? The nearest I can get to it is confirmation bias - but I know that's not right. Any ideas?
Tim.

Deluded group think. It's easier to go along with all the wrong headed thoughts and form a consensus around a load of bollox , than to actually challenge and think for oneself.

Yes DB sums it up. Nonsense and bollox passed down through the generations all serve to bias the next generations thoughts. We are only a blank canvas at birth! The next 25 years are spent indoctrinating us. The following 30 yrs are spent questioning everything we think we know. The last 25 yrs, either we never learned anything from the experience or we arrive at the point of not believing anything anyone says.

The lucky few walk their own path from an early age.

Here's a flavour of it.

https://rcsaunders.liberty.me/why-do-most-people-believe-what-is-not-true/

 

[dbphoenix]

The phrase you are looking for is "Halo effect"
It is believed humans make decisions based on one of 3 things rational, spiritual, desire. Plato's tripartite soul. Anyone not using their rational mind is being led by a spiritual or physical desire.

People can be very rational and still suffer from the halo effect because intelligence in humans is compartmental, think cognitive dissonance.

The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures shows how far this effect can go!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

It was studied by the Russians and Americans for use in propaganda.

PS, you will believe this because I'm such a good trader.

Actually, the halo effect would apply if A were impressed by an associate or associates of B rather than or in addition to B himself, i.e., B casts a halo which includes those around him. Applying a conditioned response to a class based on one's response to a member of the class is a form of transference.

 

[malaguti]

it sounds more like a term called "social influence" within psychology. It can take a variety of forms..halo effect is one as postman says, group thinking another as CV says but these are both forms of social influence
compliance, persuasion, conformity, obedience

DB mentions transference however transference is the condition of taking one set of beliefs and then passing them on to something else. in this case what you've described isn't transference so we can rule out Freud, who invented that theory

Morton Deutsch was quite famous for his theories of conflict resolution he was apparently one of its fathers of the term social influence. Anyway that's what it sounds like to me, but you ask a room of psychologists and they'll all disagree

 

[dbphoenix]

DB mentions transference however transference is the condition of taking one set of beliefs and then passing them on to something else. in this case what you've described isn't transference so we can rule out Freud, who invented that theory

Actually it's not so much transferring a set of beliefs but of transferring a response to a particular set of stimuli. But none of this really has anything to do with Tim's question.

As for "halo effect", a concrete example of this is the auto manufacturer who puts together a "concept car" and/or enters a special edition of his line into an auto race in the hope that the consumer's admiration of these special cars will encompass at least some if not all of the rest of the product line.

Those who are interested may also want to google "classical conditioning".

 

[barjon]

Cognitive bias.

 

[malaguti]

Actually it's not so much transferring a set of beliefs but of transferring a response to a particular set of stimuli. But none of this really has anything to do with Tim's question.

you don't transfer a response..the response itself is the act of transferring, how you respond, the manner in which you respond which is governed by your set of beliefs

but at least you were right with this has nothing to do with Tim's question, even though you mentioned transference :whistling

you might want to try cognitive psychology and its development (or lack of) for that "know it all attitude"

 

[dbphoenix]

you might want to try cognitive psychology and its development (or lack of) for that "know it all attitude"

We covered that when I was getting my doctorate in psychology, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[postman]

Actually, the halo effect would apply if A were impressed by an associate or associates of B rather than or in addition to B himself, i.e., B casts a halo which includes those around him. Applying a conditioned response to a class based on one's response to a member of the class is a form of transference.

DB you are wrong.

There is no third party or associate involved with the Halo effect, it is strictly an effect of B on A.

On the British Psychological Society's website there is an article by a neurosurgeon talking about how the halo effect caused the death of a patient because he let a trainee he 'liked' do part of the procedure.

“The halo effect
Surgery is a practical craft and you learn it by doing it...
I delegated the beginning of an operation to a senior trainee whom I liked greatly. By the time I joined him (it is, in fact, standard practice to let the juniors ‘open and close’ neurosurgical operations), he had the patient’s head open, so that I could no longer see exactly where he had made the opening. I assumed it was in the right place but it turned out it was not, and when I opened the meninges there was severe haemorrhage from the saggital sinus, one of the brain’s major veins. The patient died as a result. The ‘halo effect’ – a term coined by Edward Thorndike to describe the tendency for an overall impression to influence the observer’s feelings and thoughts about that person’s character or properties – had distorted my assessment of my trainee’s competence. “

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-28/june-2015/better-not-look-down

Here's are some more trivial example's.

For many individuals their hero, leader or role model can do no wrong. The reason for that? The Halo Effect.
The Halo Effect was coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike. Thorndike defined the Halo Effect as one quality outshining everything else, ultimately outshining any faults the hero may have.
Thorndike, who was an educational psychologist, observed how one group of individuals perceived another group of individuals. More specifically how educators rated their students. **
Thorndike composed a paper entitled "The Constant Error in Psychological Ratings." In the paper, he noted a study he conducted that included military troops. Two commanding officers evaluated their soldiers according to physical qualities, intellect, leadership and personality. His study revealed the ratings of one special quality of an officer were likely to start a trend in the rating results. **
Other studies of the Halo Effect demonstrated an individual's likeability due to attractiveness. Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that physical attractiveness influenced individual's perceptions of one another. *Participants were instructed to rate images of people on their social desirability. The study demonstrated the more attractive people scored higher. The more attractive the individual was, the more likely he or she was rated socially desirable.
In a study conducted by*Harold Sigall and Nancy Ostrove, the Halo Effect can influence juror's decisions. A physically attractive defendant was assigned a more lenient sentence compared to an unattractive defendant. *Additionally, in a staged negligence trial a victim was awarded $5,623, however when the victim was more attractive, the compensation was $10,051.
...
http://www.medicaldaily.com/halo-effect-why-your-hero-perfect-242462

As you can see the effect is to make individual A perceive individual B as superior in intellect or ability because A has a spiritual or physical desire for B. There is no mention of an associate of B in this article or in the original paper written by Edward Thorndike.

I find it highly unlikely that you have read the original article by Edward Thorndike (because it is difficult to get hold of) and have therefore been misinformed by a lecturer you liked or admired, and you are yourself a victim of the said 'halo effect'.

Please enlighten me if I am incorrect.

 

[postman]

Cognitive bias.

Yes indeed.

The Halo effect being a specific type of cognitive bias.

 

[dbphoenix]

DB you are wrong.

There is no third party or associate involved with the Halo effect, it is strictly an effect of B on A.

Please enlighten me if I am incorrect.

You are not incorrect. However, the original meaning of "halo effect" has been expanded considerably and today is something more than what it was. However, it applies to the OP only if one is applying the concept to symbology rather than personal acquaintanceship, which may be what Tim meant, but that is not what I drew from his question.

As for being a cognitive bias, of course. But there are dozens of cognitive biases.

 

[new_trader]

A favour . . .
Does anyone know if psychologists have a name to describe a condition or syndrome whereby person A is inclined to believe person B (even though person B spouts drivel) based on person B's professional qualifications, social status, supposed expert knowledge etc.(even though they may know very little)? The nearest I can get to it is confirmation bias - but I know that's not right. Any ideas?
Tim.

Interesting phenomenon Tim. Of course the reverse is also true i.e. Person A is inclined never to believe anyone spouting facts unless they have a formal qualification or social status etc. It is observed in this forum usually when someone refuses to accept advice from anyone unless they are a full time trader making millions.

 

[postman]

A favour . . .
Does anyone know if psychologists have a name to describe a condition or syndrome whereby person A is inclined to believe person B (even though person B spouts drivel) based on person B's professional qualifications, social status, supposed expert knowledge etc.(even though they may know very little)? The nearest I can get to it is confirmation bias - but I know that's not right. Any ideas?
Tim.

I suggest you base your opinion on facts (if any are provided) rather than unsubstantiated opinions from people you may respect, otherwise you are going to fall foul of the phenomenon yourself. :clover:

 

[timsk]

Thank you all for your interesting and thought provoking responses - much appreciated!

You're probably thinking, not unreasonably, that my question is prompted by novice traders here on T2W who latch on to someone because that person has a TA qualification or they've worked for an IB or have a double first in economics and Maths from Oxford - or whatever. Although my OP is pertinent to the retail trading arena, that's not what prompted it.

My wife and I are in the process of selling our house and we found the perfect buyer, or so we thought. A retiring GP - nice lady. Like any house, ours has had a few issues over the years which we duly declared on the solicitor's 'Property Information Form'. In our case, we had (note past tense) a small infestation of Japanese Knotweed. Make no mistake, it’s nasty stuff, highly invasive and needs to be dealt with carefully and professionally. This we did, so that all that remains is the plant in the attached photo. The surveyor didn’t even see it and, when it was brought to her attention, she didn’t bother to return to the property to inspect it, or bother to consult the top flight landscape management company who we got in over a year ago to eradicate it. (Proper management plan in place and everything.) She simply told her client (our buyer) that on the strength of that one little plant that it’s “impossible” to value the house and “impossible” to get a mortgage on it. Unsurprisingly, our buyer has withdrawn her offer. She seems completely blinkered by the surveyor and won’t listen to or accept anything anyone else says. For a variety of reasons I won't bore you with here, we believe the surveyor is unprofessional and incompetent but, unfortunately for us, our buyer laps up everything she says without question.



I'm not wanting or expecting anyone to comment on any of this; just thought you might be interested in the background to the OP.
Thanks again for all your posts.
Tim.

 

[mb325]

jobsworth
ˈdʒɒbzwəːθ/
nounBritishinformal
noun: jobsworth; plural noun: jobsworths

an official who upholds petty rules even at the expense of humanity or common sense.

 

[barjon]

Thank you all for your interesting and thought provoking responses - much appreciated!

You're probably thinking, not unreasonably, that my question is prompted by novice traders here on T2W who latch on to someone because that person has a TA qualification or they've worked for an IB or have a double first in economics and Maths from Oxford - or whatever. Although my OP is pertinent to the retail trading arena, that's not what prompted it.

My wife and I are in the process of selling our house and we found the perfect buyer, or so we thought. A retiring GP - nice lady. Like any house, ours has had a few issues over the years which we duly declared on the solicitor's 'Property Information Form'. In our case, we had (note past tense) a small infestation of Japanese Knotweed. Make no mistake, it’s nasty stuff, highly invasive and needs to be dealt with carefully and professionally. This we did, so that all that remains is the plant in the attached photo. The surveyor didn’t even see it and, when it was brought to her attention, she didn’t bother to return to the property to inspect it, or bother to consult the top flight landscape management company who we got in over a year ago to eradicate it. (Proper management plan in place and everything.) She simply told her client (our buyer) that on the strength of that one little plant that it’s “impossible” to value the house and “impossible” to get a mortgage on it. Unsurprisingly, our buyer has withdrawn her offer. She seems completely blinkered by the surveyor and won’t listen to or accept anything anyone else says. For a variety of reasons I won't bore you with here, we believe the surveyor is unprofessional and incompetent but, unfortunately for us, our buyer laps up everything she says without question.

View attachment 227232

I'm not wanting or expecting anyone to comment on any of this; just thought you might be interested in the background to the OP.
Thanks again for all your posts.
Tim.

I sympathise, Tim, but I must say that I, too, would heed the advice of a professional I had hired for the purpose. If I desperately wanted your house I might get a second opinion, otherwise I wouldn't take the risk.