21 Facts About Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.

Confirmation bias cannot be eliminated, but it can be managed, for example, by education and training in critical thinking skills.

Flawed decisions due to confirmation bias have been found in a wide range of political, organizational, financial and scientific contexts.

For example, confirmation bias produces systematic errors in scientific research based on inductive reasoning.

In social media, confirmation bias is amplified by the use of filter bubbles, or "algorithmic editing", which display to individuals only information they are likely to agree with, while excluding opposing views.

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Confirmation bias is a result of automatic, unintentional strategies rather than deliberate deception.

Confirmation bias cannot be avoided or eliminated, but only managed by improving education and critical thinking skills.

Confirmation bias is a broad construct that has a number of possible explanations, namely: hypothesis-testing by falsification, hypothesis testing by positive test strategy, and information processing explanations.

People demonstrate sizable myside Confirmation bias when discussing their opinions on controversial topics.

Myside Confirmation bias has been shown to influence the accuracy of memory recall.

Myside Confirmation bias was once believed to be correlated with intelligence; however, studies have shown that myside Confirmation bias can be more influenced by ability to rationally think as opposed to level of intelligence.

Typically, myside Confirmation bias is operationalized in empirical studies as the quantity of evidence used in support of their side in comparison to the opposite side.

Wason used confirmation bias to explain the results of his selection task experiment.

The search for "true" confirmation bias led psychologists to look at a wider range of effects in how people process information.

Cognitive explanations for confirmation bias are based on limitations in people's ability to handle complex tasks, and the shortcuts, called heuristics, that they use.

In social media, confirmation bias is amplified by the use of filter bubbles, or "algorithmic editing", which displays to individuals only information they are likely to agree with, while excluding opposing views.

Some have argued that confirmation bias is the reason why society can never escape from filter bubbles, because individuals are psychologically hardwired to seek information that agrees with their preexisting values and beliefs.

Confirmation bias is one of three main hurdles cited as to why critical thinking goes astray in these circumstances.

Confirmation bias's approach teaches people to treat evidence impartially, rather than selectively reinforcing negative outlooks.

Confirmation bias can be a factor in creating or extending conflicts, from emotionally charged debates to wars: by interpreting the evidence in their favor, each opposing party can become overconfident that it is in the stronger position.

For example, psychologists Stuart Sutherland and Thomas Kida have each argued that US Navy Admiral Husband E Kimmel showed confirmation bias when playing down the first signs of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.