A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that can affect reasoning, evaluating, attending, remembering, or other cognitive processes. Biases often occur when people use mental shortcuts (heuristics) to simplify information that is being processed. These heuristics may or may not be based entirely on facts and usually do not include all the information available. Biases are not necessarily good or bad, and probably serve the function of allowing the brain to make inferences and decisions quickly.
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