Understanding Confirmation Bias:
- shahhian
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
Understanding Confirmation Bias:
Confirmation Bias is a cognitive bias where people tend to:
Seek out,
Interpret,
Favor, and
Recall
information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or values, while giving disproportionately less attention to conflicting evidence
Example:
If someone believes that a certain diet is healthy, they may:
Focus on articles and testimonials that support that belief.
Dismiss or ignore scientific studies that suggest the diet might be harmful.
How It Works:
Selective exposure: Choosing sources of information that align with your views.
Biased interpretation: Twisting ambiguous evidence to fit your belief.
Memory recall: Remembering supporting evidence better than contradictory evidence.
Why It’s a Problem:
It can reinforce stereotypes, misconceptions, and false beliefs.
It impairs critical thinking and objective decision-making.
It plays a major role in political polarization and scientific denialism.
How to Counter It:
Actively seek opposing viewpoints.
Ask yourself: “What would prove me wrong?”
Use critical thinking frameworks and rely on peer-reviewed evidence.
Practice intellectual humility — being open to changing your mind.
Shervan K Shahhian
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