It is a cognitive bias where you focus on certain striking items or information that catch your attention and ignore things that don’t grab the same alert. Salience originates from a contrast between the event and its surroundings. An example is the news of a shark attack on a human – a rare occurrence – that psyches people from going out to the seaside.
Salience bias is critical to be aware of and get under control. In finance, a person’s aspirations to create wealth through long-term investments can derail her reactions to daily market stories about bulls and bears.
Salience Bias: The decision lab
