Behavioral New World
Authority Bias
June 1, 2022
Authority bias is the tendency to give more credibility and assign more accuracy to the views of a perceived authority figure, and thus be more influenced by those views, compared to the same information coming from a perceived non-authority figure. Often that is appropriate, when the authority figure is an expert on the topic at hand. But when that authority figure starts to stray off piste into territory in which she or he is not a true expert, cognitive mishaps are likely to follow. Consider the following examples.
Example 1. Let us picture someone trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Wow! This person has an M.D. and has done quite a bit of extra training to be certified in that field. They are clearly an authority figure for many of us.
But what if this person is providing nutrition advice? It is possible, of course, that they have done extensive research on nutrition. But maybe not – and most M.D.’s, despite their extensive training, never take a single course in nutrition. The problem is obvious: Many people attribute misplaced credence to such advice, which likely would be better coming from a fully qualified nutritionist.
Example 2. A few of you may remember a TV show called “Marcus Welby, M.D.” Robert Young was the actor who portrayed Marcus Welby, a thoroughly likeable and trustworthy physician.
Young appeared in a TV commercial for Sanka, an instant, de-caffeinated coffee.[1] In this commercial, he touts the benefit of healthy eating (including “lean meat and salad”); Sanka is also implied to be a part of healthy eating. No doubt the ad agency was counting on people seeing Young as an authority on healthy eating because he had portrayed a doctor on TV.
Example 3. How likely are people to cross against the light if someone initiates doing so? Answer: It depends. If the first person to cross against the light is wearing a nice suit or other professional clothing, people are much more likely to follow than if the “leader” is wearing work clothes.[2] But is this erstwhile professional somehow an expert on the legalities of jaywalking?
Perhaps this example, more than the others, shows that authority bias can be entirely unconscious and not even related to an obvious authority figure. Yikes!
How might we counter authority bias? A degree of skepticism is helpful here—is the authority figure likely to have deep knowledge of the subject? I am not suggesting that authority figures are always wrong. I am suggesting that you take a deep breath, step back, and ask whether the credibility you’re giving their opinion is warranted.
Should you be skeptical of the information I provide in this newsletter? Nah, after all, I have a Ph.D.
You may recall that in the March 2022 newsletter, I encouraged readers to submit either real biases that they think exist (see last month’s newsletter for an example) or a fake one just for fun (see the April 2022 newsletter). I still welcome your submissions. Here’s this month’s:
Bongiwe Shongwe:
Subjective common sense, a bias especially prominent in the driver-pedestrian relationship. When a driver, common sense says the pedestrian fears the motor vehicle and will therefore give it right of way. When a pedestrian, common sense says a car has brakes and the driver fears the repercussions of injuring someone.
[1] Here’s the commercial.
[2] A more detailed explanation appears in Robert Cialdini’s excellent book Influence, Chapter 6.