Belief Perseverance and how it Affects us in Today’s Society
Ayesha Rawlins
Florida International University
Belief Perseverance and how it Affects us in Today’s Society Many people may not be familiar with the term belief perseverance or confirmation bias, but we all experience these phenomena without even realizing it. Belief perseverance refers to the biasness towards information that agrees with our personal values even though they have been discredited or proven false. There has been much research conducted on how this subconscious biasness affects us daily (Mather & McReynolds, 2012; Bui, 2014; Frost, Casey, Griffin, Raymundo, Farrell, et al., 2015; Guenther & Alicke, 2008; McKimmie, 2015; Aronson & Carlsmith, 1963). As humans, …show more content…
Do people continue to feel the same about their favorite celebrity, despite negative information presented about the celebrity (i.e., is there emotional belief perseverance for attitudes toward celebrities)? Does considering the opposite about the celebrity influence belief perseverance and emotional belief perseverance? Finally, does the source of the information relate to how individuals think and feel about their favorite celebrity? Bui used 201 participants from a private Southern California university to get answers to these questions by having them fill out online surveys. One of the conclusions led to the failing of the hypothesis: Taking into consideration the opposite about the participant’s favorite celebrity will result in the decrease of belief perseverance and also the decrease in emotional belief perseverance regarding the celebrity, regardless of the source of information. If there is not an ample amount of contrasting or alternative information about a celebrity available, it would be difficult for fans to change their emotional beliefs, even when they are asked to consider the opposite notion that others may not like the celebrity (Bui, 2014). In relation to the current study, emotional belief perseverance also plays a part in how individuals perceive the information that is given. In an age of social media and news at our …show more content…
The following hypotheses are addressed: If told a prior study found a threatened child ranked a forbidden toy lower than a non-threatened child, participant will think that result will persist in a future study with a threatened child finding the toy less attractive compared to a non-threatened child. Alternatively, if told a prior study found a threatened child ranked a forbidden toy higher than a non-threatened child, participant will similarly think that result will persist in a future study with a threatened child finding the toy more attractive compared to a non-threatened child. Those told the prior study didn’t find a difference between threatened and non-threatened children will similarly think that lack of difference will persist in a future study. Similar findings will emerge when the study is replicated in Tampa,
Ayesha Rawlins
Florida International University
Belief Perseverance and how it Affects us in Today’s Society Many people may not be familiar with the term belief perseverance or confirmation bias, but we all experience these phenomena without even realizing it. Belief perseverance refers to the biasness towards information that agrees with our personal values even though they have been discredited or proven false. There has been much research conducted on how this subconscious biasness affects us daily (Mather & McReynolds, 2012; Bui, 2014; Frost, Casey, Griffin, Raymundo, Farrell, et al., 2015; Guenther & Alicke, 2008; McKimmie, 2015; Aronson & Carlsmith, 1963). As humans, …show more content…
Do people continue to feel the same about their favorite celebrity, despite negative information presented about the celebrity (i.e., is there emotional belief perseverance for attitudes toward celebrities)? Does considering the opposite about the celebrity influence belief perseverance and emotional belief perseverance? Finally, does the source of the information relate to how individuals think and feel about their favorite celebrity? Bui used 201 participants from a private Southern California university to get answers to these questions by having them fill out online surveys. One of the conclusions led to the failing of the hypothesis: Taking into consideration the opposite about the participant’s favorite celebrity will result in the decrease of belief perseverance and also the decrease in emotional belief perseverance regarding the celebrity, regardless of the source of information. If there is not an ample amount of contrasting or alternative information about a celebrity available, it would be difficult for fans to change their emotional beliefs, even when they are asked to consider the opposite notion that others may not like the celebrity (Bui, 2014). In relation to the current study, emotional belief perseverance also plays a part in how individuals perceive the information that is given. In an age of social media and news at our …show more content…
The following hypotheses are addressed: If told a prior study found a threatened child ranked a forbidden toy lower than a non-threatened child, participant will think that result will persist in a future study with a threatened child finding the toy less attractive compared to a non-threatened child. Alternatively, if told a prior study found a threatened child ranked a forbidden toy higher than a non-threatened child, participant will similarly think that result will persist in a future study with a threatened child finding the toy more attractive compared to a non-threatened child. Those told the prior study didn’t find a difference between threatened and non-threatened children will similarly think that lack of difference will persist in a future study. Similar findings will emerge when the study is replicated in Tampa,