Publication
Confirmation and Cognitive Bias in Design Cognition
AbstractThe desire to better understand design cognition has led to the application of literature from psychology to design research, e.g., in learning, analogical reasoning, and problem solving. Psychological research on cognitive heuristics and biases offers another relevant body of knowledge for application. Cognitive biases are inherent biases in human information processing, which can lead to suboptimal reasoning. Cognitive heuristics are unconscious rules utilized to enhance the efficiency of information processing and are possible antecedents of cognitive biases. This paper presents two studies that examined the role of confirmation bias, which is a tendency to seek and interpret evidence in order to confirm existing beliefs. The results of the first study, a protocol analysis involving novice designers engaged in a biomimetic design task, indicate that confirmation bias is present during concept generation and offer additional insights into the influence of confirmation bias in design. The results of the second study, a controlled experiment requiring participants to complete a concept evaluation task, suggest that decision matrices are effective tools to reduce confirmation bias during concept evaluation.
Download publicationRelated Resources
See what’s new.
2015
3D-Printed Prosthetics for the Developing World
The growing availability of 3D printing has made it possible for…
2014
CADament: A Gamified Multiplayer Software Tutorial System
We present CADament, a gamified multiplayer tutorial system for…
2017
Simulating the Behavior of Building Occupants using Multi-agent Narratives: A Preliminary Study in a Generic Hospital Ward
In architectural design it is of cardinal importance to anticipate how…
2003
Keyframe Control of Smoke Simulations
We describe a method for controlling smoke simulations through…
Get in touch
Something pique your interest? Get in touch if you’d like to learn more about Autodesk Research, our projects, people, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Contact us