Theories: Confirmation Bias

Lauren Mazich
Theories: Confirmation Bias
Confirmation Bias
Psychology: Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias occurs when an individual looks for and uses the information to support their own idea or belief. It also means that information not supporting their ideas is disregarded. This often occurs when we want certain ideas to be true. We are motivated by wishful thinking. This leads individuals to stop searching for information once they have found evidence to support their viewpoint. Once we have formed a view, we focus in on the information that supports our point and ignore information that supports the opposing side. We pick out the bits and pieces of information that make us feel good about ourselves and provide evidence for our viewpoint. This is commonly  how prejudice viewpoints are made.

Confirmation Bias can also be found in anxious individuals who think the world is a dangerous place. For example, a person with low self esteem, is highly sensitive to being ignored by other people, and they are constantly on the look out for signs that people may not like them. If you think somebody is annoyed with you, you are biased towards all the negative information a person expresses towards you.

This theory is commonly found in the medical field. Medical doctors are just as likely to have confirmation bias as everyone else. When it comes to diagnosing a medical condition in the early stages, doctors may preform research on what they believe the condition may be. Once they find even the slightest bit of information to support their diagnosis, they stop and confirm it. This becomes a problem in the later stages of the medical condition of it was misdiagnosed, as the treatment may have needed to be different than it was with the initial diagnosis.

People are prone to believe what they want to believe. Seeking to confirm our beliefs comes naturally, while it feels strong and counter intuitive to look for evidence that contradicts our beliefs. Confirmation bias has become more common among researching than not as it is a comforting and natural process to confirm your viewpoint and feel you are correct.