- ### __Bias : __ - Google Effect - ### __Definition : __ - The tendency to forget information that can be found readily online by using Internet search engines. - ### __OODA Class : __ - Orient Phase - ### __OODA Subclass : __ - Previous knowledge/experience - ### __Classification Reasoning : __ - Search engines are becoming increasingly powerful over time. Irrespective of the domain of work, people are reliant on search engines such as google for information. The ease of obtaining information has a downside – people tend to forget the easiest of things leading to what some people term as ‘digital amnesia’. Based on the requirements document, architects use their previous experiences to come up with solutions. Due to cognitive limitations of the mind, it is not always possible to remember all the information and the tendency to forget is more profound due to the influence of search engines. Search engines cannot have all the answers and judgements are often anchored to the information presented by the search results. - ### __Example : __ - Forgetting how one previously coded a solution: Due to the Google Effect, we tend not to commit data to memory simply because we know that it can be found online. This is quite true in cases when writing some complex code snippets. If the snippet can be found online, the easiest solution is to reuse the code and often developers do not bother to understand the logic behind it as long as there is a working solution. - ### __Impact : __ - Based on the example, a dependency is developed on the source from where the solution was copied. When a similar situation presents itself in the future, the tendency would be to search online for the code snippet instead of being able to code it themselves. It also results in complacency in developers as they fail to double check if the code is applicable and passes all the border test conditions. - ### __Debiasing Techniques : __ - Using more than one search engine would provide more perspective as each search engine has their own way of ranking search results. Some basic documentation consisting of decision logs, previously gathered information which is crucial and some first level analysis about the information. - ### __Related Biases : __