bias-check

name	bias-check
description	Use before any research activity or significant decision. Reviews cognitive biases relevant to the current stage.

Bias Check Skill

Pre-research and pre-decision bias review.

Workflow

1. Identify context: What stage (L0-L5)? What activity (research, decision, evaluation)?

2. Load stage-specific checklist from cognitive-biases.md for the current scale.

3. For each bias on the checklist:

   • Is this bias likely active in the current situation? (Yes/No/Maybe)
   • If Yes/Maybe: What specific mitigation will be applied?
   • Document the assessment.

4. Check agent's own biases (from cognitive-biases.md agent section):

   • Sycophancy: Am I agreeing with the user when evidence says otherwise?
   • Recency: Am I overweighting recent context over earlier evidence?
   • Pattern matching: Am I assuming this is like something I've seen before without checking?
   • Completionism: Am I filling gaps with speculation rather than acknowledging uncertainty?

5. Output bias briefing:

   ## Bias Check: [Activity]
   Stage: [L0-L5]
   
   ### Active Risks
   | Bias | Risk Level | Mitigation |
   |------|-----------|------------|
   | ...  | High/Med/Low | ... |
   
   ### Agent Self-Check
   - Sycophancy: [OK/Risk]
   - Recency: [OK/Risk]
   - Pattern matching: [OK/Risk]
   - Completionism: [OK/Risk]
   
   ### Proceed? [Yes / Yes with caution / Pause and address]
   

Theory Citations

• Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow (System 1/System 2)
• Shotton: The Choice Factory (behavioral biases in decision-making)
• Torres: Continuous Discovery Habits (bias in research)