← all facts
cognition
You ignore information that contradicts what you already believe.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and favor information that validates your pre-existing opinions.
When you encounter facts that clash with your world view, your brain initiates a defensive response, actively downplaying the validity of that data. You don't just see the world; you filter it to reinforce the story you have already decided is true. It takes significant cognitive effort to even consider an alternative hypothesis.
You are not looking for the truth; you are looking for evidence that you were right all along.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Nickerson, 1998, Review of General Psychology
- What the check found
- The definition accurately reflects the core concept described by Nickerson (1998), which is widely considered the definitive review on the topic.
- 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.