“decision-makers have a tendency to actively seek information and assign greater value to evidence confirming their existing beliefs rather than entertaining new ones” – the Decision Lab
Some explanations for confirmation bias from simplypsychology.org https://www.simplypsychology.org/confirmation-bias.html
“Information processing: To form an unbiased decision, one would have to critically evaluate every piece of information present which is unfeasible, therefore people only tend to look for information desired to form their conclusions (Casad, 2019).
Protect self-esteem: To make themselves feel confident, they tend to look for information that supports their existing beliefs (Casad, 2019).
Minimize Cognitive Dissonance: Challenge avoidance and reinforcement seeking affect people’s thoughts/reactions differently since exposure to disconfirming information results in negative emotions, something that is nonexistent when seeking reinforcing evidence”
Check out this Sprout’s video (4 mins)
Consider the following:
- When does confirmation bias lead to groupthink?
- How often are you ok being wrong?
- What can you do to avoid your own confirmation bias?
- How are your apps on your phone reinforcing you confirmation bias?