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Publications
  • 2021
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

G.I. Joe Phenomena: Understanding the Limits of Metacognitive Awareness on Debiasing

By: Ariella S. Kristal and Laurie R. Santos
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:54
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Abstract

Knowing about one’s biases does not always allow one to overcome those biases— a phenomenon referred to as the G. I. Joe fallacy. We explore why knowing about a bias doesn’t necessarily change biased behavior. We argue that seemingly disparate G. I. Joe phenomenon biases fall into two main categories based on their cognitive architecture. Some biases are encapsulated— knowledge cannot affect a bias because the representations or emotions that give rise to the bias are informationally encapsulated. Encapsulated biases are the hardest to overcome since they are cognitively impenetrable by their very nature. In contrast, attentional biases are cognitively penetrable enough to be overcome through awareness, yet people still fall prey to such biases under conditions of distraction or limited attention during the moment of decision-making. We conclude by discussing the important implications these two discrete categories have for overcoming these biases and for debiasing efforts generally.

Keywords

Biases; Judgment; Decision-making; Nudge; Debiasing; Illusions; Prejudice and Bias; Decision Making; Behavior; Change

Citation

Kristal, Ariella S., and Laurie R. Santos. "G.I. Joe Phenomena: Understanding the Limits of Metacognitive Awareness on Debiasing." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-084, January 2021.
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More from the Authors

    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Signing at the Beginning vs at the End Does Not Decrease Dishonesty

    By: Ariella Kristal, A.V. Whillans, Max Bazerman, Francesca Gino, Lisa Shu, Nina Mazar and Dan Ariely
    • March 21, 2020
    • Scientific American

    When We're Wrong, It's Our Responsibility as Scientists to Say So

    By: Ariella Kristal, A.V. Whillans, Max Bazerman, Francesca Gino, Lisa Shu, Nina Mazar and Dan Ariely
    • Nature Human Behaviour

    What We Can Learn from Five Naturalistic Field Experiments That Failed to Shift Commuter Behaviour

    By: A.S. Kristal and A.V. Whillans
More from the Authors
  • Signing at the Beginning vs at the End Does Not Decrease Dishonesty By: Ariella Kristal, A.V. Whillans, Max Bazerman, Francesca Gino, Lisa Shu, Nina Mazar and Dan Ariely
  • When We're Wrong, It's Our Responsibility as Scientists to Say So By: Ariella Kristal, A.V. Whillans, Max Bazerman, Francesca Gino, Lisa Shu, Nina Mazar and Dan Ariely
  • What We Can Learn from Five Naturalistic Field Experiments That Failed to Shift Commuter Behaviour By: A.S. Kristal and A.V. Whillans
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