considerationsbias

Considerations bias, also written as considerationsbias, is a proposed cognitive bias describing a tendency to evaluate options based on a restricted set of considerations rather than the full range of relevant factors. When present, decision makers overweight the attributes or criteria that are most salient, recent, or easily recalled, and underweight others that should inform the decision. The result is biased judgments and suboptimal choices even when a complete, high-quality information set is available.

Several mechanisms can contribute: salience-induced attention to a subset of attributes; framing that prioritizes specific criteria; cognitive load that limits search and evaluation; and anchoring on initial cues such as a first impression or a dominant feature. The bias can operate both on the selection of options (consideration set) and on how those options are assessed once they enter consideration.

It can affect consumer behavior, hiring, and risk assessment. In marketing, a shopper may focus on price and brand while ignoring durability or total cost of ownership. In recruitment, a candidate’s fit may be judged mainly on a single criterion like experience, neglecting other important attributes. The bias tends to reduce decision quality when a broad, relevant set of considerations would yield better outcomes.

Mitigation strategies include prompts or decision aids that require evaluating all relevant criteria, structured decision frameworks, checklists, and choice architecture that expands the consideration set. It is related to, but distinct from, other biases such as availability, anchoring, and confirmation bias. The term is used in parts of decision research, but is not universally formalized as a standalone, widely validated bias.