I see cognitive bias as a HUGE problem, encountering it so frequently that I consider it an epidemic.
One particularly painful example: River engineers label sediment transported in suspension but not seen in the river bed as "wash load." Often we need only design for the sediment found in the bed, or "bed material load," and safely ignore wash load. Except when we can't. Wash load in one river reach can become bed material load in a downstream reach where the current slows down. It can also become bed material if we modify the flow by constricting the river. An engineering firm designed and constructed a structure that that pooled water upstream. They were so accustomed to neglecting wash load that they told the client to expect sediment deposition equal only to the river's bed material load. It was a serious underestimate.
Bill Mc
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William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., BC.CE, BC.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-07-2025 09:45 AM
From: Mitchell Winkler
Subject: Intersection with Cognitive Biases and Behavioral Economics
Several decades ago i was introduced to the work by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky on cognitive biases. This knowledge had a profound impact on my problem solving ability, and how I see the world. Their work later became the foundation for behavioral economics. If this is unfamiliar to you, search on cognitive biases and look up Richard Thaler.
I want to bring attention to this work as I'm not sure how much air time it receives in the high,y technical world in which many of us work, and these biases, if not accounted for, can overwhelm our technical work.
is this something you've come across and what's a practical or real life example in civil engineering practice based on your experience?
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Mitch Winkler P.E.(inactive), M.ASCE
Houston, TX
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