What role does confirmation bias play in our lives?

Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias that predisposes us to search for and analyze information in a manner that supports our current views.

Confirmation bias can be extremely problematic in science where researchers might be pre-disposed to find a specific answer or type of data. Confirmation bias (and a bit of national pride) led to the “discovery” of N-rays, a mysterious form of radiation that could only be seen with the naked eye. Subsequent confirmations of the existence of n-rays were later dismissed as it became clear that researchers were only looking for what they wanted to find. You can read more about n-rays, the dubious origins of homeopathy, and how one scientist avoids falling into the confirmation bias trap in this article by Ars Technica.

Confirmation bias isn't just limited to science and academic research. Watch the first 60 seconds of this video to see a real world example of confirmation bias:

As we saw in the video, when we begin a search with a specific outcome in mind, we’re less likely to find (or even acknowledge) information that does not support that outcome. Worse still, the tendency to surround ourselves with opinions that mirror our own means that we may never even encounter an opposing viewpoint! By carefully curating our media consumption through online behaviors and networks, we are turning ourselves into less informed citizens. Echo chambers can also aid in the spread of false information, as tightly gated online communities spread information between their members.

How do I avoid bias?

No one can completely avoid bias, but there are a few steps you can take toward reducing confirmation bias and the number of echo chambers in your life:

Remain neutral

By remaining neutral in your research, you can stop confirmation bias before it even occurs. As we saw in the video above, searching for “ABC Cable Complaints” was more likely to result in bad feelings about ABC Cable than just searching “ABC Cable.”

Unfortunately, finding unbiased and neutral information on some topics can be seemingly impossible. A quick Google search regarding #BlackLivesMatter vs. #AllLivesMatter returns an incredibly partisan list of results. However, utilizing library resources for a similar search returns a very different set of results. Don’t discredit your local library when in search of neutral and unbiased information.

Stay away from the "unfriend" button

Though your brother-in-law might have some questionable viewpoints on the current presidential candidates, his opinions offer an insight into the opposing side and help you avoid creating a political echo chamber on social media.