Cognitive psychology of missed diagnosis

Cognitive psychology as the science that examines how people reason, formulate judgments, and make decisions can provide a useful approach to problems in diagnosis.

For example a number of common errors have been identified


 * These include*


 * availability heuristic (in which people judge likelihood by how easily examples spring to mind),
 * anchoring heuristic (in which people stick with initial impressions),
 * conformity
 * framing effects (in which people make different decisions depending on how information is presented),
 * obedience (in which people stop thinking when confronted with authority),
 * premature closure (in which several alternatives are not pursued).
 * Stereotyping

Often these cognitive shortcuts are useful but becoming aware of how, when misapplied, they lead to common errors may enable clinicians to make appropriate allowances.