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cognition
You struggle to accept information that changes your mind.
Motivated skepticism is the tendency to scrutinize counter-attitudinal information more intensely than information that supports your existing views.
When presented with data, people work significantly harder to find flaws in evidence that contradicts their beliefs. They apply a 'can I believe this?' test to evidence they dislike, while applying a 'must I believe this?' test to evidence they like. This creates an asymmetric processing of information that keeps beliefs intact despite contradictory input.
You are not looking for the truth; you are looking for confirmation.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Ditto and Lopez, 1992, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- What the check found
- The definition is accurate and reflects a foundational study in social psychology, even though the provided text did not contain the specific source quote.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.