The illusion of information adequacy

Scientists propose a new bias: The tendency to assume one has adequate information to make a decision

They call it the illusion of information adequacy

New experimental data support the idea that people tend to assume the information they have is adequate to comprehend a given situation, without considering that they might be lacking key information.

When navigating alternative perspectives, people may demonstrate psychological biases that influence their ability to understand others' viewpoints. For instance, in the bias of naive realism, people presume their own subjective perspective is objective truth.

The illusion of information adequacy: the failure to consider the possibility that one might be missing key information.

Moreover, a subgroup of participants who later received the information they initially lacked tended to stick with their original decisions. Hmmm!

Scientists just shut their mouths and wonder how inadequate human perceptions are!

A major source of misunderstanding and conflict in our daily lives arises from this paradox: We know that, in theory, there are plenty of things that we don't know we don't know. Yet, in practice, we almost always behave as though we have adequate information to voice our opinions, make good decisions, and pass judgment on others. A little more intellectual humility about what we do and don't know would serve us well.

Without this, scientists will not consider your opinion or decision.

Now you know why we don't care much about your opinions, talk, decisions and judgements with regard to science.

The illusion of information adequacy, PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310216