science

Pro-innovation bias

Pro-innovation bias is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pro-innovation bias rather than just read about it. In short: In diffusion of innovation theory, a pro-innovation bias is a belief that innovation should be adopted by the whole society without the need for its alteration. The innovation's "champion" has such a strong bias in favor of the innovation, that they may not see its limitations or weaknesses and continue to promote it nonetheless.

Key takeaways

Pro-innovation bias belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pro-innovation bias to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pro-innovation bias from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In diffusion of innovation theory, a pro-innovation bias is a belief that innovation should be adopted by the whole society without the need for its alteration. The innovation's "champion" has such a strong bias in favor of the innovation, that they may not see its limitations or weaknesses and continue to promote it nonetheless.

Example

A feeling of nuclear optimism emerged in the 1950s in which it was believed that all power generators in the future would be atomic in nature. The atomic bomb would render all conventional explosives obsolete, and nuclear power plants would do the same for power sources such as coal and oil. There was a general feeling that everything would use a nuclear power source of some sort, in a positive and productive way, from irradiating food to preserve it to the development of nuclear medicine. There would be an age of peace and plenty in which atomic energy would "provide the power needed to desalinate water for the thirsty, irrigate the deserts for the hungry, and fuel interstellar travel deep into outer space". Roger Smith, then chairman of General Motors, said in 1986, "By the turn of the century, we will live in a paperless society." In the late 20th century, there were many predictions of this kind.

See also Appeal to novelty Gartner hype cycle Myth of Progress Status quo bias Technological determinism Wishful thinking

References

Further reading Rogers, Everett (August 16, 2003). Diffusion of Innovations. Free Press. pp. 512. ISBN 978-0-7432-2209-9.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pro-innovation bias

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pro-innovation bias claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pro-innovation bias before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pro-innovation bias ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pro-innovation bias

In research: Pro-innovation bias appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pro-innovation bias in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pro-innovation bias is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bias, Innovation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pro-innovation bias outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pro-innovation bias in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pro-innovation bias means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pro-innovation bias out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pro-innovation bias in simple terms?

Why does Pro-innovation bias matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pro-innovation bias?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pro-innovation bias.