Cultural influences on cognitive biases in judgment and decision making: On the need for new theory and models for accidents and safety

We believe that cognitive biases are ubiquitous in distorted decision making and subsequent accidents. In addition, we contend that cultural differences may potentially compound the effects of cognitive biases in this domain. In this chapter, we briefly examine two case studies of how cross-cultural nuances contribute to crashes or disasters. Based on these analyses, an emphasis is placed on the concept of incorporating cultural differences into a safety culture or a preventive model of crashes or disasters. We suggest that a new theory needs to be built in the domain of safety, which account for crosscultural nuances as part of the causal processes leading to accidents.