Egocentric Bias

Definition

Most people know more about themselves than they know about others. This is true in part because people tend to pay more attention to themselves than to others and in part because people have privileged access to information about themselves (e.g., private thoughts, emotions) that is unavailable to others. Because it is so plentiful, information about the self can exert a disproportionate influence on various kinds of judgments. When it does, that tendency is known as an egocentric (i.e., self-centered) bias.

As an example of an egocentric bias, consider how people divide up the credit for collaborative endeavors. When individuals work together on a task, such as a sales team that works to market a new product or students who collaborate on a class assignment, each ...