Question

A man with chest pain tells the EMTs that he hurt his chest 2 weeks ago. The EMTs conclude that the patient likely has a fractured rib or other chest wall injury. At the hospital, the man is diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction. Which of the following decision traps does this scenario depict?

a. Confirmation bias
b. Anchoring bias
c. Hindsight bias
d. Groupthink

Answer 1

The decision trap depicted in this scenario is anchoring bias. The EMTs anchored their diagnosis on the patient's history of injuring his chest, leading them to overlook other causes of chest pain like acute myocardial infarction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The decision trap depicted in this scenario is anchoring bias. Anchoring bias refers to the tendency to rely on initial values or information when making a decision, even if that information is misleading or inaccurate. In this case, the EMTs anchored their diagnosis on the information provided by the patient about injuring his chest 2 weeks ago, which led them to believe he had a fractured rib or chest wall injury. However, they did not consider the possibility of other causes of chest pain, such as acute myocardial infarction.