The confirmation bias occurs when an individual has the tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms ones belief while giving little to no attention to information that contradicts it. The individual actively seeks out more evidence that confirms their hypothesis and ignores the evidence that will disconfirm their hypothesis. This is an unreliable way to reason because it prevents an individual from considering important information when making decisions. Confirmation biases impacts how people gather information and how they interpret it. An example of someone committing the confirmation bias can be seen in the debate over gun control. An advocate of gun control would look for information that supports their opinion and when they
