The Role of Cognitive Biases in Difficult Negotiations Part III

Victoria Pynchon, ADR Services, Inc.

To coordinate within a group

we developed

certain tendencies of thought

called cognitive

biases

universal ways of thinking about what motivates other people

We make common cognitive errors

Over-ascribing intention to our fellows when we are harmed andUnder-ascribing situation and circumstanceFalling prey to fundamental attribution error

They meant to harm us

We were victims of circumstance

in the absence of information, we make stuff up

We see patterns where none exist

clustering illusion

we discount everything our

bargaining partners say

reactive devaluation

confirmation bias

we search for and interpret information in a way that confirms our preconceptions

Next, Remedies for Cognitive Biases