KIN240 Notes - Principles of Biobehavioral Health
-Chapter 1: Cognitive Bias
-Career challenge: meaning pataients resistance to information
- E#xperience gives people the means to contradict; the perspective given involvement in which they have been
Perceptions:
- Its common for people to think if they engage in same types of health behaviors they did when they were young. they could attain those outcomes.
- Secondhand experience - meaning perceptions attained not through personal involvement and interactions of another individual.
- Past perceptions: difference between beginning to obtain healthier attributes vs. sustaining them.
People differ between 16-21 to after 30
- The best thing to do to combat this is to understand why the individual maybe resistant to the help or change.
- Individuals with loss of experience when encountering similar information that already confirms their beliefs.
- Confirmation bias - selecting information that confirms what we already know & feel.
- Expertise - exceptional knowledge of a particular domain
Chapter 1: Cognitive Bias
Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that occur when people process and interpret information in the world around them. These biases can significantly affect the decisions and judgments individuals make, often leading to deviations from rational thought.
Career Challenge: Patient Resistance to Information
Healthcare professionals often face a significant challenge in their careers: patients' resistance to accepting new information or adopting recommended changes in health behaviors. This resistance often stems from deeply ingrained beliefs, past personal experiences, or a natural inclination to protect existing habits, all of which are heavily influenced by various cognitive biases.
Impact of Experience on Contradiction
Personal experience provides individuals with a strong foundation for their beliefs, giving them the means to contradict new information or advice. The perspective gained from direct involvement and personal history can lead people to heavily weigh their own 'evidence' over external recommendations, making them resistant to ideas that clash with their lived reality.
Perceptions
Age-Related Health Perceptions: A common perception is that if individuals engage in the same types of health behaviors they did when they were younger (e.g., between ages ), they should be able to attain the same health outcomes. This belief often disregards the physiological changes that occur with aging (e.g., after ), such as metabolic slowdown, changes in recovery rates, and increased susceptibility to certain conditions.
Second-hand Experience: Perceptions are also attained not only through personal involvement but additionally through second-hand experience, meaning information or beliefs derived from the involvement and interactions of another individual, or from observations and narratives rather than direct personal action. This can also introduce biases if the source of such experience is itself skewed.
Past Perceptions vs. Sustaining Healthier Attributes
There's a significant difference between the initial motivation to begin obtaining healthier attributes and the long-term challenge of sustaining them. While starting a new habit can be driven by a strong desire for change, maintaining it requires consistent effort, resilience in the face of setbacks, and overcoming resistance to long-term behavioral modifications.
Age-Related Physiological Differences
Significant physiological differences exist between young adults (typically aged ) and individuals after the age of . Younger bodies generally exhibit higher metabolic rates, faster recovery, and greater resilience. After , individuals often experience a gradual decline in these capacities, making past behaviors less effective in achieving desired health outcomes and contributing to the challenge of adapting to new health realities.
Combating Resistance
The most effective approach to combat patient resistance is to delve deeper into understanding the underlying reasons for an individual's hesitance or denial towards help or change. This involves active listening, empathy, and exploring their existing beliefs, past experiences, and any cognitive biases that might be influencing their stance.
Confirmation Bias and Experience
Individuals, especially when lacking diverse or disconfirming experiences relevant to new information, tend to actively seek out and filter information that already confirms their existing beliefs. This reinforces their current viewpoints and makes them less receptive to contradictory evidence.
Confirmation Bias: This is a cognitive bias where individuals tend to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports their prior beliefs or values. It can lead to selective data gathering, biased interpretation of evidence, and an overconfidence in one's own perceptions.
Expertise
Expertise refers to exceptional knowledge and skill within a particular domain, typically acquired through extensive experience, study, and training. While valuable, even experts can be susceptible to cognitive biases, sometimes leading to overconfidence or a narrow focus within their specialized area, potentially hindering the acceptance of novel data or approaches outside their established framework.