Confirmation bias

The term confirmation bias ( confirmation bias ) refers to cognitive psychology to seek the tendency to select information as and interpret that they meet the company's expectations. Be hidden Unconsciously this information, the own expectations refute ( disconfirming evidence). The person is then subject to a self-deception or self-deception. The first theory about this cognitive distortion derived from Peter Wason (1968).

Positive Test Strategy

An element of the phenomenon of confirmation bias is a positive test strategy. The search for data that confirm one's own hypothesis is intuitively used more frequently than the search for data that would falsify their own hypothesis. A famous experiment in this context is the so-called 2-4 6- task of Peter Wason.

The phenomenon of the validation error is observable among other well with students in science classes. So this plan an experiment often without the so-called control approach (see control group). When control approach based on the factor is omitted in scientific experiments whose causality is about to be tested (the independent variable). Since only the comparison of the two approaches (with and without the independent variable ) allows a conclusion about the cause -and-effect relationships, such an experiment is running out without a control approach for a positive test strategy.

Selective recall

If you already have a fixed opinion on a subject recalls after a discussion better suited to the plausible arguments for their own position and to the nonsensical arguments for the opposing position.