The effect of personal anecdotal evidence on confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias is the common human tendency to notice or seek out information which confirms our already existing beliefs while ignoring evidence which conflicts our beliefs. It is particularly prevalent in cases where our beliefs are mere prejudice or based on superstition. Confirmation bias is the reason why many people believe in the supernatural such as ESP, lucky charms or the lunar effect: a claim that human behaviour is influenced by the position of the moon in its cycle. These kind of beliefs are usually backed up by evidence of personal experience. I will argue that knowledge of the existence of confirmation bias as a widespread phenomenon and how it works will allow people to be less influenced by their own biases and less susceptible to believing in the supernatural. If individuals place less weight on the reliability of personal anecdotal evidence, then aspects of confirmation bias can be avoided.
The notion that our perception and memory of events has a direct correspondence to reality is simply wrong. A great deal of research today suggests that what we perceive is not just a result of our eyes and ears but also by what we know to be …show more content…
I was confirming the existence of my own confirmation bias, using the confirmation bias phenomenon. It could be argued that was I noticing these events happening because I expected them to. I was simply observing things which confirmed my belief that confirmation bias exists. Which in a sense is true. However, I stated earlier that by simply knowing about confirmation bias you are in a better state to not be lead astray by your own
Confirmation bias is the common human tendency to notice or seek out information which confirms our already existing beliefs while ignoring evidence which conflicts our beliefs. It is particularly prevalent in cases where our beliefs are mere prejudice or based on superstition. Confirmation bias is the reason why many people believe in the supernatural such as ESP, lucky charms or the lunar effect: a claim that human behaviour is influenced by the position of the moon in its cycle. These kind of beliefs are usually backed up by evidence of personal experience. I will argue that knowledge of the existence of confirmation bias as a widespread phenomenon and how it works will allow people to be less influenced by their own biases and less susceptible to believing in the supernatural. If individuals place less weight on the reliability of personal anecdotal evidence, then aspects of confirmation bias can be avoided.
The notion that our perception and memory of events has a direct correspondence to reality is simply wrong. A great deal of research today suggests that what we perceive is not just a result of our eyes and ears but also by what we know to be …show more content…
I was confirming the existence of my own confirmation bias, using the confirmation bias phenomenon. It could be argued that was I noticing these events happening because I expected them to. I was simply observing things which confirmed my belief that confirmation bias exists. Which in a sense is true. However, I stated earlier that by simply knowing about confirmation bias you are in a better state to not be lead astray by your own