Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M3223

Authority Bias

Authority Bias
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-31

CORE DEFINITION

People tend to obey commands from authority figures, even when those commands conflict with their own moral principles or common sense. In the Milgram experiment, 65% of ordinary people were willing to administer lethal voltage to others under the command of a 'scientist' in a white coat. -

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

An alarm for independent thinking. If you execute an obviously wrong instruction at work just because 'the boss said so', you are a victim of authority bias. Titles, uniforms, and fame can shut down our critical thinking. When facing authority, you must deliberately activate the 'questioning procedure'.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Similar to authority bias: people over-conform to and overestimate the opinions of authority figures, suppressing independent judgment, even when the authority may not be reliable in the relevant field.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority_biasZH · Explicit
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