Why do cognitive biases and fallacies still exist despite evolution?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Delving into why cognitive biases and fallacies persist despite evolution requires weighing each listed possibility against what we know about how evolution shapes cognition.
Option a: They are always harmful. In reality, many biases can be advantageous in certain contexts or environments, providing quick heuristics that save time and energy. Calling them always harmful ignores situations where a bias helps make fast, decent judgments, so this is an overgeneralization.
Option b: Evolution optimizes for perfect logic. Evolution does not produce perfect logical reasoning; it favors traits that increase reproductive fitness in typical environments. Perfect logic is not a direct target of natural selection, and humans often rely on heuristics that trade accuracy for speed, making this statement incorrect.
Option c: They developed only in modern times. The evidence from psychology and anthropology shows that many biases have deep roots and can be traced to ancient environments where humans faced different survival challenges. Therefore, saying they developed only recently ignores a long historical lineage.
Option d: They are caused by random mutations. While random mutations contribute to variation, biases are better understood as byproducts of adaptive heuristics shaped by natural selection, rather than simply random mutations with no function. This view misses the purposeful role of selection in bias formation, so it’s not accurate.
Option e: They were adaptive in ancient environments. This option aligns with the widely accepted view that many cognitive biases arose as ecological rationales—heuristics that worked well enough in ancestral environments, providing quick, frugal judgments that boosted survival and reproductive success. Although modern contexts can reveal limitations, the core idea that biases were historically advantageous is well supported.

CCST9086_1A_2025 Quiz4

Why do cognitive biases and fallacies still exist despite evolution?

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

The opposite of the “halo effect” is:

Belicia chooses a designated driver to drive her home whenever she goes out for a party. She believes that this virtue of hers is exceptional and that no one else is as precautious as she is. This scenario best exemplifies

Which statement is correct?

What does Kahneman refer to as "cognitive illusions"?

Which of the following are heuristics or cognitive biases about which an adviser should be knowledgeable?

Social psychological research has shown that human information processing may not be quite objective and accurate because:

What evolutionary trait makes humans prone to pseudoscience?

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单