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Confirmation Bias

Forensic Confirmation Bias: When the Evidence Doesn't Speak for Itself

Jeff Kukucka | Posted 04.29.2013 | Science
Read More: Dna Testing, Dna, Fingerprints, Forensic Science, Forensic Crime Labs, Forensic Evidence, Criminal Justice System, Criminal Justice, Confirmation Bias, Fingerprinting, Science News
Jeff Kukucka

Latent fingerprint analysis is one of the more well-established domains of forensic science, yet these human examiners are vulnerable to the same confirmation biases that plague us all. It logically follows that other, less 'scientific' domains of forensic science that involve visual comparisons could be similarly hampered.

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The Principle of Charity

Jonathan Haber | Posted 12.27.2012 | Politics
Read More: Education News, Critical Thinking, Principle of Charity, Critical Thinking Election, Cognitive Biases, Bias, Straw Man Argument, Critical Thinking Education, Argumentation, Obama Rhetoric, Confirmation Bias, Politics News
Jonathan Haber

Even if this election ends in a victory for the president, it's worth examining whether embracing our biases (and re-enforcing them by surrounding ourselves with people and media that confirm them) is ultimately good for us as individuals, party loyalists or citizens of the nation.

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Bias Always Hurts the One You Love

Jonathan Haber | Posted 12.16.2012 | Home
Read More: Obama Debate, Debate, Critical Thinking, Romney Debate, Critical Thinking Election, Cognitive Biases, Bias, Argumentation, Confirmation Bias, Rhetoric, Logic, Managing Expectations, Home News
Jonathan Haber

Before deciding that a campaign based on accusations of dishonesty must work, it might be worth checking your own biases at the door, at least long enough to ensure they are not leading you, your cause and your candidate over another cliff.

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24 Hour News Killed Journalism

Jeff Sorensen | Posted 10.20.2012 | Detroit
Read More: 24 Hour News, TV News, 24-Hour News Cycle, 24-Hour-News-Stations, Confirmation Bias, Detroit Tigers, Edward R. Murrow, Detroit News
Jeff Sorensen

Serious journalism doesn't get the viewers anymore. Loud music over a waving U.S. flag and flickering lights bring in the audiences. Journalism is now clipped to a sentence that scrolls at the bottom of the screen.

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Wrong Again: Why Experts' Predictions Fail, Especially About the Future

Michael Shermer | Posted 03.05.2012 | Science
Read More: Election Predictions, Elections 2012, The Future, Predictions, Confirmation Bias, Paul Samuelson, Foresight, Science News
Michael Shermer

As 2012 unfolds, most notably with predictions about political elections, beware of the experts. For the most part, these experts are no better than dart-throwing chimps.

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Denial of Facts Is No Way to Understand Science

James Hoggan | Posted 02.06.2012 | Green
Read More: Climate Science, Fraser Institute, Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, Koch Industries, Climate Change, Climategate, Confirmation Bias, Motivated Reasoning, Green News
James Hoggan

There was a time when I couldn't understand what motivated writers like Margaret Wente to stand so firmly against such clear and solid science. The psychology of "confirmation bias" has provided the answer for me.

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Are We as a Culture on a Mean Streak? Do We Reason Just To Win?

Kathleen Reardon | Posted 08.22.2011 | Politics
Read More: Charity, Reason, Meanness, Kindness, Political Polarization, Mean Streak, Confirmation Bias, Media Bias, Civility, Truth, Culture, Politics News
Kathleen Reardon

Critical argument in the U.S. media is no longer about seeking truth to correct or sustain our formative values; rather it is about winning so that others might lose. How do we find a way back?

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"Who Do You Trust?" Poll Results

Jim Lichtman | Posted 05.25.2011 | Media
Read More: Alan Colmes, Jamie O?Boyle, Bill O?Reilly, Trust, Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Ethics, Glenn Beck, Arianna Huffington, Keith Olbermann, The Center for Cultural Studies and Analysis, Confirmation Bias, Chris Matthews, Media News
Jim Lichtman

When it comes to the political talking heads crowding the media platform, who, if any, do we trust the most and the least? Are the facts important or is it all just entertainment?

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Why Do Smart People Make Dumb Decisions?

Dr. Ali Binazir | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living
Read More: Ali Binazir, Overconfidence Bias, Decision Enhancement, Cognitive Biases, Fundamental Attribution Error, Confirmation Bias, Availability Bias, Sunk Cost Fallacy, Sunk Costs, Availability Heuristic, The Balanced Life, Healthy Living News
Dr. Ali Binazir

Psychologists who've studied our decision-making processes have observed cognitive biases that tend to get us in trouble. These biases don't make you a bad person, they just make you human.

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Christian Belief Through the Lens of Cognitive Science: Part 5.5 of 6

Valerie Tarico | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living
Read More: Christian Belief, Psychology of Religion, Cognitive Science, Confirmation Bias, Psychology of Belief, Healthy Living News
Valerie Tarico

All of us are biased to seek information that fits what we already believe. Confirmatory evidence jumps out at us, and we find it emotionally appealing.

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