8.7: Sesgos de Confirmación

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?

Another Example of Social Stereotypes

If an employer expects an openly gay male job applicant to be incompetent, the potential employer might treat the applicant negatively during the interview by engaging in less conversation, making little eye contact, and generally behaving coldly toward the applicant (Hebl, Foster, Mannix, & Dovidio, 2002). In turn, the job applicant will perceive that the potential employer dislikes him, and he will respond by giving shorter responses to interview questions, making less eye contact, and generally disengaging from the interview. After the interview, the employer will reflect on the applicant’s behavior, which seemed cold and distant, and the employer will conclude, based on the applicant’s poor performance during the interview, that the applicant was in fact incompetent. Thus, the employer’s stereotype—gay men are incompetent and do not make good employees—is reinforced. Do you think this job applicant is likely to be hired? Treating individuals according to stereotypic beliefs can lead to prejudice and discrimination.

In this scenario, can you pick out the confirmation bias? The employer may not have noticed that the job applicant was friendly and engaging, and that he provided competent responses to the interview questions in the beginning of the interview. Instead, the employer focused on the job applicant’s performance in the later part of the interview, after the applicant changed his demeanor and behavior to match the interviewer’s negative treatment.

This text is adapted from OpenStax, Psychology. OpenStax CNX.

Al abordar una proposición, como "Desayunar mejora las calificaciones de los exámenes", alguien puede pensar que investigará objetivamente el tema.

Sin embargo, a medida que buscan pruebas, queda claro para un extraño que están atendiendo selectivamente a piezas que respaldan sus ideas preconcebidas. No han acumulado ningún dato que argumente hipótesis alternativas.

Como resultado, este tipo de búsqueda puede validar falsamente sus creencias prevalecientes, sin ninguna intención o conciencia de ser engañosa.

Aquí, el individuo ha caído presa del sesgo de confirmación, la tendencia a buscar o interpretar información de una manera que confirme una creencia existente.

En una situación diferente, otra persona puede estar particularmente motivada para defender una idea: quiere que sus ideas preconcebidas sean ciertas. Después de todo, han eliminado elementos asociados con sus hábitos alimenticios anteriores y se han convertido a una dieta vegana, lo que, en su opinión, mejorará su sueño.

En consecuencia, pueden descartar o ignorar deliberadamente la información que contradice sus preferencias, interpretar una historia para reforzar su opinión personal, o incluso hacer preguntas que provoquen respuestas específicas. Una vez más, este ejemplo describe otra víctima del sesgo de confirmación.

Para probar a fondo los puntos de vista, las personas deben explorar ambos lados, la evidencia a favor y en contra de sus perspectivas, antes de establecer conclusiones.