Microblindness
Microblindness is a proposed composite bias in which small warning signs are dismissed as insignificant until they accumulate into larger failures.
| Microblindness | |
|---|---|
| Field | Cognitive psychology; risk analysis; institutional failure |
| Author | Andrew Lehti |
| Status | Proposed composite bias |
| Former name | Incremental Ignorance |
| Related framework | Cognitive Impasse |
| Related concepts | Normalization of Deviance, Proper Channels Bias, Status Quo Bias |
Microblindness describes the tendency to overlook minor issues because each appears too small to matter. The danger lies in accumulation. Small defects, weak signals, unresolved contradictions, or procedural shortcuts become normalized until a larger breakdown appears sudden.
Within Cognitive Impasse, Microblindness protects systems from correction by minimizing early warnings. The system does not fail without signs; the signs are treated as too minor to interrupt the routine.
The concept is adjacent to normalization of deviance, where repeated deviation becomes culturally accepted when it does not immediately produce disaster.
See also
References