Confirmation Bias
Note: This topic was mentioned during the call but not discussed in depth.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs.
How It Works
- Seek out confirming evidence
- Ignore or dismiss contradictory evidence
- Interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting
- Remember hits, forget misses
Connection to Curiosity
From Belief Systems and Curiosity:
Confirmation bias mimics curiosity:
- You're "curious" to learn more
- But only about things that confirm
- You stop being curious when evidence contradicts
- Not genuine curiosity but selective attention
Alex's Challenge
Alex Kladitis essentially accused the group of confirmation bias:
"I can find every single... at least one example where each one of you has made a statement, and I'm thinking, But why don't you look at it from this point of view?"
Even in a discussion about curiosity, we may:
- Seek perspectives that fit our views
- Ignore challenges to our thinking
- Confirm what we already believe about curiosity
The Compartmentalization Example
Alex's newspaper example:
- Page 1: Politician announces great thing → confirms they're good
- Page 5: Same politician shown as corrupt → ignore or forget
We selectively attend based on what we want to believe.
Breaking the Pattern
Possible remedies:
- Multi-Perspectival Humbleness - actively seek disconfirming views
- Critical Thinking - examine own reasoning
- 5 Whys - dig deeper than surface confirmations
- Genuine Curiosity as Social Practice - ask those who disagree