Genetic Predispositions
Tendency to overdetect (rather than underdetect) patterns
Tendency to make decisions quickly
Tendency to overrespect confidence
Tendency to rely on personal experience
Barnum effect (Forer effect) - tendency to personalize general statements
Tendency to minimize cognitive dissonance - prefer evidence supporting existing beliefs
Information to be wary of
Information that contradicts professional opinion - see Denialism
Anectodal evidence - personal experiences
Effects that lack an obvious scientific mechanism
Cold reading - a technique to convince you that an authority (reader) knows more about you than he actually does