Think Better · 45 sec
Confirmation bias
A compact thinking tool for spotting patterns and avoiding mistakes.
The useful idea
- An automatic habit
Confirmation bias often comes from automatic mental habits.
- Search becomes selective
Biased search for information, biased interpretation of this information and biased memory recall have been invoked to explain four specific effects:
- Contrary evidence
People display this bias when they select information that supports their views, ignoring contrary information or when they interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing attitudes.
Why this matters
Use Confirmation bias as a quick check before trusting your first conclusion.
Try this
Use Confirmation bias as a quick check before trusting your first conclusion.
Test your recall
Which idea belongs to the explanation of Confirmation bias?
- Search becomes selective
- An automatic habit — correct
- Contrary evidence
Confirmation bias often comes from automatic mental habits.