Example of Authority Bias
- Patients follow a doctor's treatment recommendation without question, even when seeking a second opinion or asking about alternatives might be beneficial.
The doctor's authority discourages the healthy skepticism that could lead to better care. - Employees implement a directive from senior leadership they believe is flawed, assuming "they must know something we don't" rather than raising concerns.
Hierarchical authority suppresses valuable feedback and independent judgment.
Note
This is a common biasRelated to the Milgram obedience experiments and research on social influence. Also connects to appeal to authority as a logical fallacy.
