What is a Confirmation Bias?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
A confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias in which people tend to seek out information that agrees with their previously held beliefs. They also lend more weight to informational input that supports their beliefs, while discarding contradictory information. This is one of the most common cognitive biases, and it can also be the most dangerous, because it can lead people into very poor decisions on the basis of questionable information. Learning to recognize this type of bias is very important, and individuals can use one or more of several techniques to avoid it, whether carrying out scientific research or buying produce.
There are a number of reasons why the confirmation bias is so strong. Like any cognitive bias, it is a shortcut in the brain to process information, but the shortcut has some shortcomings. It is probably related to a common human desire to be right, and to avoid embarrassment by recanting a previously held belief. This bias can also ensure that entrenched religious, ideological, and ethical beliefs are not challenged, making believers feel more confident.
There are some obvious dangers to only looking at certain information, of course. For example, in scientific research, scientists could skew the results of a study by only seeking out information that confirmed their hypothesis. In a study looking at the effects of the lunar cycle on human behavior, a scientist might believe that humans engage in more dangerous behavior around the new moon, and this hypothesis might be tested by tracking emergency room admissions. If the scientists only looked at admissions during this time period, it would not provide a complete picture that might not support the hypothesis.
A confirmation bias can also create a logic trap for people trying to engage in critical thinking. Many critical thinking classes encourage people to come up with views that are antithetical to their own opinions, to make people aware of the potential for bias in critical thinking. In fields that require strong critical thinking skills, it is very important for people to constantly challenge their beliefs, and people should also not be afraid of being wrong.
To avoid this bias, people should try to analyze their beliefs and ideas from a wider point of view. Those who are testing a personal hypothesis should gather as much information as possible before determining whether or not the hypothesis is true; for example, if someone believes that melons of a certain shape taste the best, he should collect a wide sample of melons of varying sizes and conduct a blind tasting test to confirm or refute this hypothesis. Individuals should also not be afraid to play the devil's advocate in a discussion or argument, thinking through the opposing point of view.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
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![Discussing the issue with others who have a different religious, ethnic or ideological background may help resolve some instances of confirmation bias.]()
By: Monkey BusinessDiscussing the issue with others who have a different religious, ethnic or ideological background may help resolve some instances of confirmation bias.
Discussion Comments
@GigaGold
Yes, but what they don't realize is that the writers of scripture did not operate on the standards of "modern logic." They were looking for a symbolic or hyperbolic associative account of how the earth came to be, and a testimony to the sovereignty of God. I doubt they cared if the imagery indicated a literal six-day period. Days were often used to convey long periods of time in the Old Testament literature.
The conformity bias of many fundamentalists disables them from seeing the universe in modern logical terms. Some state that the earth was formed in six days, denying the evidence to the contrary.
When someone encounters an idea which contradicts their confirmation bias, they tend to squirm their way around it through faulty reasoning. When confronted about the origin of life, many scientists will squirm around their lack of solid knowledge of its source by coming up with random and un-detailed or vague theorems about crystals.
Everybody has a cognitive bias, some even have a cognitive bias based on "science" which, for them, may be a shaky system that only explains certain myopic phenomena. When something occurs or is shown to have happened on a cosmic scale or in quantum mechanics, they scoff at it, since it is inexplicable or contradictory to established "scientific" principles.
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