What Is Confirmation Bias?
________ is the tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs. Confirmation bias is the process by which people tend to look for evidence that confirms what they already believe. Confirmation bias is a psychological bias in which people only gather information that confirms what they already believe is true. Remember that the information you gather could be completely false, and you’ll only look for official online sources to back up your beliefs. As we know, online sources are not always reliable, and it’s important to always be “on-top” of the truth when gathering information.
It is the process by which people tend to gather information that confirms their beliefs. We are not always perfect, and this is where we have to be careful about our own confirmation bias. One of the best ways to recognize your own confirmation bias is to analyze the information you receive.
Once we have formed a view, we embrace information that confirms that view while ignoring, or rejecting, information that casts doubt on it. Confirmation bias suggests that we don’t perceive circumstances as they are. Instead, we believe them to be as we perceive them to be. Our biases are often reinforced if we make decisions based on limited or unrepresentative data. For example, people may choose to drink more alcohol or smoke because they don’t see any other option.
In conclusion, people are likely to to trust what they want to believe. Seeking to confirm our beliefs comes naturally, while it feels strong and counterintuitive to look for evidence that opposes our beliefs. This explains why opinions survive and spread. Disconfirming occurrences are far more powerful in establishing the truth. Disconfirmation would require looking for evidence to disprove it. This is why confirmation bias is so risky. We are effectively ignoring information that opposes our beliefs and instead focusing on the information that confirms what we already believe. This is why it’s always important to be doubtful when someone tells you something.
