Unconcious Bias Quiz

During Maria’s performance review, her hard work is acknowledged but her manager focuses more on areas of improvement. The feedback she’s given suggests that she should adopt the style of her coworker, John, who often works closely with the manager and shares a similar communication style. This makes Maria feel underappreciated.  

• Affinity / Similarity bias

• Confirmation bias

• Bandwagon effect

• Primacy effect

Answer explanation

The manager matches his own communication style with success which causes him to overlook Maria's achievements over John's.

During the interview process, Alex impresses the hiring manager with his communication skills and confidence, leading the manager to feel like he would be a good fit for the role. Relying on his previous recruitment experience, the manager spends less time probing into Alex’s weaker areas, while two other candidates with better technical expertise receive a more routine evaluation.  

• Horn effect

• Bandwagon effect

• Overconfidence bias

• Likability Bias

Answer explanation

The hiring manager's overconfidence in Alex's communication skills led to less scrutiny of his technical expertise, showing overconfidence bias.

In a team meeting for a new project, Sarah suggests a streamlined approach that some group members support initially. David offers an approach that requires more resources but has greater potential. Later on, the conversation shifts back to Sarah’s idea, winning over the majority and is chosen as the preferred approach. 

• Bandwagon effect

• Primacy effect

• Intuition bias

• Likability Bias

Answer explanation

The correct choice is Bandwagon effect because the team members agreed on Sarah's idea due to the initial support and alignment with current resources.

A marketing team is evaluating the performance of an agency they work with. Some members express concerns about the agency’s recent interactions and believe they have been less reliable.  Nour, the manager, feels uneasy after the comments despite data showing consistent performance and positive outcomes in the long term. In the end, they decide to explore their agency options next year. 

• Overconfidence bias

• Confirmation bias

• Bandwagon effect

• Intuition bias

Answer explanation

The correct choice is Intuition bias because Nour's decision to explore agency options is based on a gut feeling rather than data-driven evidence.

During a promotion meeting, the team reviews several employees’ performance. When Mark comes up, one manager recalls a high-profile mistake he made months ago. Despite Mark’s strong performance since, the discussion shifts towards that mistake, leading other managers to downplay his recent successes. As a result, Mark is passed over for promotion.  

• Confirmation bias

• Horn effect

• Recency effect

• Likability bias

Answer explanation

The Horn effect occurs when one negative trait influences the perception of an individual's overall performance. In this case, Mark's past mistake overshadowed his recent successes, leading to him being passed over for a promotion.