Example of Confirmation Bias
- John believes that a particular political party is corrupt. He only reads news from sources that criticize that party and dismisses positive stories as propaganda.
John is selectively consuming information that confirms his existing belief while ignoring contradictory evidence. - A manager believes a new employee is incompetent. She notices every mistake the employee makes but overlooks their successes and contributions.
The manager's preexisting belief filters her perception, making her see only confirming evidence.
Note
This is a common biasConfirmation bias was first described by Peter Wason in the 1960s through his famous "2-4-6 task" experiment.
