Final answer:
The correct option is 1). Bias is the tendency to favor certain opinions or ideas, often leading to partiality in thought and decision-making. It is influenced by cognitive patterns such as anchoring and availability heuristics, and can be magnified by social phenomena like tribal thinking and the bandwagon effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term used to describe a tendency to think in a certain way, leading to a literal inclination or slant toward a certain opinion or prejudice, is bias. This cognitive tendency affects our decision-making processes and problem-solving skills, as it can cause us to focus disproportionately on information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs - a phenomenon known as confirmation bias. Beliefs become reinforced by this selective acquisition and recall of information, which may often overlook contradictory evidence. An example of this would be the anchoring bias, where our initial impression, price, or number heavily influences our subsequent judgments.
Bias extends beyond individual thoughts to affect group dynamics as well. Tribal thinking and the bandwagon fallacy refer to the tendency to agree with group opinions or to follow popular trends without independent evaluation. In order to mitigate the impact of bias, it is vital to actively question our own thinking patterns and introduce checks and balances in our research and evaluation processes.