The Psychology of Confirmation Bias

People seem to stubbornly cling to their preexisting beliefs, even when provided evidence to the contrary. In psychology, researchers have a name for this stubbornness — confirmation bias. It’s one of the most common of biases humans hold in their mind, called cognitive biases. Confirmation bias is the tendency for a person to interpret or remember information in a manner that simply confirms their existing beliefs. It is one of the strongest and most insidious human biases in psychology, because most people are unaware they are doing it. It is the invisible voice inside our heads that always agrees with what we say, no matter the facts. Confirmation bias, also referred to as myside bias, exists in our everyday decisions. We primarily rely on evidence that supports our opinions and beliefs, and disregard anything contrary to those beliefs. This bias can emerge in a number of different ways: How we search for & find information How a person searches for information can significantly impact what they find. Imagine a scientist who has a hypothesis they want to test. Most scientists don’t come at a hypothesis out of the blue. It’s usually based upon their existing beliefs and other data they’ve researched. So by asking a new research question in a specific way, they can subtly bias their search for information, finding exactly the results they thought they would find. Lawyers are adept at helping people draw biased conclusions by asking question...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior General Mental Health and Wellness Motivation and Inspiration Psychology Self-Help Confirmation Bias Open Mindedness Perspective taking selective recall social media Source Type: blogs