Watch for
Assigning higher competence or morality to people who share your identity markers.
Social & PerceptionBias #37
In-Group Favoritism
We favour people in our own group.
The systematic tendency to extend preferential treatment, trust, and positive evaluation to members of one's own group, while viewing outsiders more critically.
Why it matters: Henri Tajfel's minimal group paradigm showed that even arbitrarily assigned groups (e.g., "overestimators" vs "underestimators") trigger favouritism within minutes.
Try this
Blind evaluation processes that strip identifying information before assessment.
Real-world example
Hiring a candidate from the same alma mater over a more qualified candidate from a different background.
Key researchers
Henri Tajfel
First described in 1970
Psychological mechanism
Social Identity Theory. Humans maintain self-esteem by linking their personal identity to social groups. Elevating the status of the group elevates the self, making in-group favouritism an indirect act of self-preservation.
Seminal research
Henri Tajfel (1970) through his "Minimal Group Paradigm" experiments, showing that boys would instantly discriminate against out-group members for no reason other than arbitrary group assignment.
Related Biases
Debrief
Biases are not character flaws. They are recurring patterns in how minds compress uncertainty, save energy, and narrate reality. Once you recognise the pattern, you can slow the decision down, test the assumption, and make space for a better explanation.