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authority_bias
Authority bias is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy and weight to the opinion of an authority figure, regardless of the actual content of their statement or whether they are speaking within their domain of expertise. People defer to perceived authority even when the authority's claims are demonstrably wrong or outside their competence.
A celebrity endorses a specific dietary supplement, and consumers trust their recommendation even though the celebrity has no medical or nutritional training whatsoever.
A financial news segment features a former government official commenting on which stocks to buy. Viewers trust the recommendations implicitly because of the guest's political title, even though the official has no background in investment analysis or financial markets.
During a team meeting, a junior analyst presents data clearly showing that Strategy A outperforms Strategy B, but when the department director casually mentions a preference for Strategy B, the entire team shifts toward Strategy B without critically re-examining the evidence.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Is an authority figure's opinion cited?
Type: binaryIs excessive weight given to the authority's opinion without independent verification?
Type: binaryIs the authority speaking outside their circle of competence?
Type: binaryAuthority bias is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy and weight to the opinion of an authority figure, regardless of the actual content of their statement or whether they are speaking within their domain of expertise. People defer to perceived authority even when the authority's claims are demonstrably wrong or outside their competence.
Humans evolved in hierarchical social structures where deferring to authority figures was an efficient survival strategy. This deeply ingrained tendency persists as a cognitive shortcut that substitutes the evaluation of credentials for the evaluation of arguments.
Always ask whether the authority is speaking within their domain of expertise, and evaluate claims on their evidence rather than their source. Remember that expertise in one field does not transfer to all fields.
Milgram's famous experiments demonstrated that ordinary people would administer apparently dangerous electric shocks when instructed by an authority figure in a lab coat. In medicine, nurses have been shown to follow clearly erroneous doctor orders without question.
Expert E in domain S asserts A; therefore A is presumably true.
Expert E in domain S asserts A; therefore A is presumably true.
Speaker recites information fluently but operates outside actual circle of competence.
The HiPPO (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) effect describes the tendency in group decision-making for the most senior or highest-status person's opinion to dominate, regardless of its merit. Related to authority bias but specific to organizational dynamics where hierarchy overrides evidence.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.