← all facts
bias
You ignore information that challenges your existing beliefs.
A 1979 study found that participants discounted evidence that contradicted their opinions while accepting flawed evidence that supported them.
This is confirmation bias. We actively seek out data that confirms what we already think and disregard anything that makes us reconsider. It is a protective mechanism for our current internal narrative.
You are not looking for the truth; you are looking for verification.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Lord, Ross, and Lepper, 1979
- What the check found
- The cited 1979 paper by Lord, Ross, and Lepper is a foundational study in social psychology regarding how people treat evidence that conflicts with their prior beliefs.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.