Building Better Choices: How to Equip Students to Overcome Cognitive Biases
This post was originally published on The Decision Lab’s website on 2/02/25. Reposted with their permission.
Written by Ivy McDaniels, Ramin Mohajer, Hector Alvarado, and Dr. Maraki Kebede
In today’s rapidly evolving world, children and adolescents are bombarded with complex choices earlier than ever, such as choosing extracurriculars and friend groups or navigating social media. Yet, despite the increasing demands placed on students’ decision-making abilities, we are failing to adequately train them for these responsibilities. The lack of Decision Education in our schools is leaving young people ill-prepared to navigate uncertainty and make choices that align with their values. This neglect is not without consequences—research shows that when children are not taught how to make informed decisions, they are more likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful to their social, emotional, and physical well-being.1
In this article, we’ll discuss how cognitive biases impact young people’s decision-making, why early Decision Education is essential, and how targeted interventions can empower students to make informed, value-aligned choices in an increasingly complex world.
How cognitive biases influence student decisions
One of the many reasons why decision-making is so hard for students is the cognitive biases that inevitably influence their choices in both the short and long term. Cognitive biases often stem from “mental shortcuts”—also referred to as “heuristics”—that we often use when making decisions. These shortcuts are generally helpful as they decrease the mental load associated with decision-making to help streamline our choices.
What are heuristics?
Heuristics can be traced back to survival skills, evolving as cognitive strategies that allowed our ancestors to make quick and effective decisions in high-stakes situations. In prehistoric times, the ability to make rapid decisions—whether in hunting, gathering food, or evading predators—was essential for survival. These strategies helped early humans effectively navigate their environments, and their importance continues today, even amidst the complexities of modern life.
Unfortunately, cognitive biases can lead to poor decision-making, particularly in children and adolescents whose cognitive abilities are still developing.2 Without proper guidance, young people are left to navigate these biases on their own, often with detrimental results. For example, the hard-easy effect may lead students to overestimate their abilities to complete tasks, especially difficult ones, rating themselves as “above average” at most things. This overconfidence can lead adolescents to diminish the risks of dangerous behaviors, such as substance abuse or reckless driving.2 Similarly, framing effects that influence how information is presented can skew adolescents’ perception of choices, leading to decisions that do not align with their best interests.3
Biases impact us differently as we grow older
It is essential to note that cognitive biases can influence decision-making differently as children develop.
In a study evaluating decision-making competence in pre-adolescent children ages 10 and 11, Weller et al. (2014) argue that kids at this developmental point struggle most with self-regulation and their ability to process relevant information when making decisions.4 According to the researchers, this may be the result of adolescents experiencing difficulties in fully comprehending existing options, a manifestation of several biases, including the framing effect, anchoring bias, or information overload. The prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain primarily responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and risk assessment, is also still maturing during adolescence—which may also help to explain why children at this stage may be more susceptible to irrational thinking.
Adolescents, on the other hand, seem to be much more sensitive to the affect heuristic, which is the tendency to rely on our emotions rather than concrete information when making decisions. On this front, Albert & Steinberg (2011) identify that feelings such as the “excitement of being with friends” and the “thrill of crossing parental (even legal) boundaries” can significantly impact adolescent decisions.2 This, as the researchers suggest, can be the result of peer pressure (stemming from the bandwagon effect) combined with the developmental changes in sensation seeking and an enhanced perception of one’s ability to “get away with it” (an example of the hard-easy effect at play). Due to their limited life experience, teenagers may underestimate the consequences of their actions, fostering a belief that they are either less vulnerable or more resistant to harm. On a similar note, young people often believe that negative events are not likely to happen to them, which can lead them to disregard potential dangers.9
Even though there is evidence demonstrating how developing cognitive abilities can lessen the impact of some of these biases as individuals grow older, those same studies suggest that some biases, like the framing effect and conjunction fallacy, are already ingrained in one’s decision-making abilities as early as 11-years-old—making these tendencies more difficult to unlearn.2
Additionally, research has shown that those with lower decision-making competence in childhood are more likely to experience emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal difficulties later in life.1 These difficulties can manifest in various ways, from poor academic performance to an increased likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, such as substance abuse or unsafe sexual practices.5
From these empirical findings, we can understand how imperative it is to deliver adequate and timely Decision Education starting at a young age to mitigate these detrimental results.
What can we do about this?
Improving our decision-making skills, regardless of our age, involves a combination of strategies and practices that can, among other things, enhance our ability to evaluate options, consider potential outcomes, and make choices that serve us best. There are many strategies in behavioral science that help people with decision-making. Two key approaches aimed at altering decision-making processes influenced by cognitive biases are “debiasing” and “rebiasing.”
Debiasing refers to techniques designed to interrupt decision-making processes at the point where biases may come into play and instead use filters, associations, or suggestions to generate outcomes that are more “bias-free.” Meanwhile, rebiasing includes methods that swap one bias for another or alternatively, leverage the same bias to achieve an alternative outcome. Both techniques, delivered as interventions or “nudges,” have shown remarkable success in improving decision-making for adults, highlighting their transformative potential when adapted to empower children and adolescents.
For example, in TDL’s previous work, we have successfully leveraged rebiasing for the status-quo bias to increase how many parents selected “healthy alternatives” in kids’ meals for one of the largest hamburger fast food restaurant chains in the world. We have also seen positive results from using techniques such as “premortem analyses” and “devil’s advocate exercises” to debias core-curriculum decision-making for US Districts. In other work, rebiasing has been used to implement “double-blind” processes to improve project prioritization in team settings commonly dominated by strong leader influences. These examples, along with numerous successful interventions like them around the world, support the idea that targeted strategies can effectively mitigate the impact of biases, making them a promising option to apply from a young age.
Decision Education, rooted in decades of research in decision science, is the teaching and learning of skillful decision-making. Among other things, it provides learners with the tools to mitigate the impact of biases by leveraging similar interventions. Extending this powerful knowledge to students is crucial to ensure these positive impacts start at an early age. Evidence suggests that collaborating with educators to engage in interventions is an effective approach to disseminating information and encouraging widespread change. In fact, research shows that when it comes to debiasing, socially administered practices, such as in a school environment, are often more effective than individual practices.6 In part, this may be because these approaches can guide decision-makers to think more deeply than they would if left to their own devices, such as in group decision-making situations or through shared accountability.
The advantage of beginning Decision Education at an early age is that childhood is a time when the brain is highly adaptable. During this period, key takeaways surrounding foundational concepts—like understanding cognitive biases and their consequences—can become more deeply ingrained, shaping decision-making processes as children mature.7 In a classroom setting, where social dynamics are a natural part of learning, students can develop self-awareness and empathy as they learn to recognize biases in themselves and others. This understanding not only improves social interactions but also strengthens problem-solving skills. Additionally, identifying biases early on helps children challenge them, reducing the risk of these mental shortcuts turning into habitual patterns of thinking.8
To accomplish thoughtful Decision Education, there needs to be significant care as to how to infuse debiasing interventions in a classroom setting. To support educators, the Alliance for Decision Education has developed lesson plans dedicated to teaching kids (grades 6 through 12) how to recognize and resist the influence of cognitive biases. These lessons cover a wide range of topics, from understanding what biases are to guiding students through practical exercises to avoid them, making this an invaluable resource to tackle this challenge.
Shaping the future through better choices
Given the clear evidence of the negative consequences of neglecting decision-making training, it is time that we take action to address this issue as early in students’ education as possible. We believe a call for schools to prioritize the general development of decision-making skills—including how to recognize and manage cognitive biases—is necessary, integrating it into both formal education and everyday interactions. Failure to do so is not just an oversight; it is a disservice to the next generation, one that could have profound implications for their future well-being.
References
Sources
- Weller, J. A., Levin, I. P., Rose, J. P., & Bossard, E. (2012). Assessment of Decision-making Competence in Preadolescence: Decision-making Competence in Preadolescence. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 25(4), 414-426. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.744
- Albert, D., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Judgment and decision making in adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 211–224. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00724.x
- Suzuki, A., Megumi, A., & Yasumura, A. (2021). Developmental changes in cognitive bias. Psychology, 12(2), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2021.122019
- Weller, J. A., Moholy, M., Bossard, E., & Levin, I. P. (2014). Preadolescent Decision-Making Competence Predicts Interpersonal Strengths and Difficulties: A 2-Year Prospective Study. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 28(1), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.1822
- Parker, A. M., & Fischhoff, B. (2005). Decision-making competence: External validation through an individual-differences approach. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 18(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.481
- Larrick, R. P. (2004). Debiasing: Improving judgments and decisions. In D. J. Koehler & N. Harvey (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making (pp. 316-337). Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470752937.ch16
- Bjorklund, D. F., & Causey, K. (2017). Children’s thinking: Cognitive development and individual differences (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
- Nisbett, R. E. (2009). Intelligence and how to get it: Why schools and cultures count. W. W. Norton & Company.
- Elkind, D. (1967). Egocentrism in Adolescence. Child Development, 38(4), 1025–1034. https://doi.org/10.2307/1127100
About the Authors
Ivy McDaniels
Ivy is the Director of Communications at the Alliance for Decision Education. She brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, marketing, and communications. As the daughter of two teachers, and the daughter-in-law of two more, Ivy believes in the power of education to transform lives. Beginning with a service year through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, Ivy has held positions at several education-based nonprofits in the Philadelphia area, including a K-8 scholarship program and a postgraduate training center. She also serves on the board of Philadelphia’s largest adult literacy program and on an advisory board for her alma mater. Ivy earned an M.A. with distinction in Literature while on a Fulbright research award at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and holds a B.A. with distinguished honors in English from Ursinus College. Additionally, she has completed continuing education at the Bryn Mawr Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute. Ivy lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their young daughter. When not working or parenting, Ivy can be found outdoors in her community garden, the woods, or biking the city streets.
Ramin Mohajer
Ramin A. Mohajer is the Deputy Director of Organizational Development. He has worked at educational nonprofits for over a decade after beginning his career as a corporate attorney, and joined the Alliance for Decision Education in 2015. Before joining the Alliance, Ramin served as the Executive Director of Faces without Places (now UpSpring), a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that provides educational programs and services to children experiencing homelessness. In this role, Ramin worked to ensure the growth of the organization’s programs, improve its financial stability, and increase awareness about childhood homelessness. Prior to moving to the nonprofit world, Ramin worked as a corporate attorney for several years at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York. In those roles, he worked on a variety of cases focused on securities, intellectual property, and general commercial matters, in addition to several pro bono cases. Ramin received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies from Harvard University. At Harvard, Ramin was the President of Harvard Model Congress, a student organization and nonprofit that hosts national government simulation conferences for high school students. A native New Yorker, Ramin now lives in Center City Philadelphia with his wife and their three children. He is passionate about food, travel, and both playing and following sports (particularly basketball and fantasy football).
Hector Alvarado
Hector Alvarado is a Director at The Decision Lab. He holds a Masters in Applied Statistics from the University of Oxford, an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelors in Actuarial Science. He is very interested in applying insights and his past experience to generating meaningful impact for vulnerable populations around the globe. Prior to joining The Decision Lab, Hector worked about 5 years as a Private Equity investor in the Infrastructure Sector in LATAM and over 6 years as a Management Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. Hector has lead large transformation, growth strategy and integration projects in the Pharma, Consumer Goods and Banking Industries both in North and Latin America.
Dr. Maraki Kebede
Maraki is a Project Leader at The Decision Lab. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity in education globally, and has been featured in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, and international conferences. Maraki has worked with several international organizations to craft pathways to empower underserved school-aged children and youth in Africa, including UNESCO, the World Bank, the Institute of International Education, and Geneva Global Inc.
