Psychology And Cognitive Science, Confirmation Bias ( Or...

In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias (or confirmatory bias) is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one s preconceptions, leading to statistical errors. It is a type of cognitive bias and represents an error of inductive inference toward confirmation of the hypothesis under study. Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis, and ignore or underweigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis. As such, it can be thought of as a form of selection bias in collecting evidence. An individual might even seek out proof that further backs up this belief, while discounting examples that do not support this idea. Unlike other similar concepts such overconfidence bias or anchoring, confirmation biases impact how people gather information, but they also influence how people interpret and recall information. For example, people who support or oppose a particular issue will not only seek information that supports their beliefs, they will also interpret news stories in a way that upholds their existing ideas and remember things in a way that also reinforces these attitudes. Therefore, this concept is important because without seeking for objective facts, interpreting information in a way that only supports one’s existing beliefs, and only remembering details that uphold these beliefs, people often miss importantShow MoreRelatedCross-Cultural Assessment of Psychological Assessment Measures7333 Words   |  30 Pagesof the history of South Africa with regard to the misuse of Psychological Testing. Testing can never-the–less be a very useful way of obtaining objective information, economically and quickly about potential candidates when used fairly and without bias towards any particular individual or group (Bedell, Van Eeden and Van Staden 1999). Psychological Assessment is innately a contentious issue. Bedell, Van Eeden and Van Staden (1999) maintain that even in a heterogeneous population, tests are not alwaysRead MoreResearch Paradigm14392 Words   |  58 PagesEpistemology—the branch of philosophy dealing with knowledge and its justification Methodology—the identification, study, and justification of research methods Axiology—the branch of philosophy dealing with values and ethics Rhetoric—the art or science of language and oral and written communication Pragmatism Philosophical position that what works is what is important or â€Å"valid† FIGURE 2.1 Starting in the 1990s, many researchers rejected the incompatibility thesis and started advocatingRead MoreAre Social Media Replacing Traditional Media In Terms Of Brand Equity Creation10677 Words   |  43 Pagesbrands, one brand was randomly assigned to that participant. By limiting the choice of brands to those perceived on social media platforms as well as randomizing the actual brand that the participants evaluated in the survey, we avoided the possible bias that participants might chose a brand on the basis of a personal positive evaluation. Table I gives an overview of the sample demographics. Measurement procedure We exclusively used reflective measurements, where changes in a construct’s measures indicate