One concept in psychology that was especially appealing to me and that I will remember five years from now is the different types of biases and how to recognize them. The first type of bias is confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is defined as the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them. This concept is applied to many arguments I have daily. Another type of bias is belief perseverance, the tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them. Often times it is hard for people to change their minds about things when they have believed one thing their entire lives. It's key that you keep biases in mind when considering a topic. TV stations and other pubic media sources often fall subject to both types of bias. When watching a political television program it is not difficult to determine which political party the station favors. Biases are everywhere in today's world, it's important we notice and consider these biases.
Bias in Today's World
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I've always thought this. It became so obvious once I was exposed to the theory.
I think you make a very valuable point in your blog. I agree that confirmation bias is extremely pervasive within arguments, and before this course I was never aware how often I used it in arguments. It makes sense why it is destructive, and I've come to realize how frustrating it is to argue with people who practice confirmation bias. It makes individuals come off as arrogant and stubborn if they aren't willing to consider they may be wrong in their claims.
I am glad somebody wrote about this because I see it all the time in media. People always just report the part of the story that supports their point of view or opinion and leave out the other parts that may contradict them. When I see this I get annoyed and it is a reason I often can not watch the news. Often times when I do watch it, I actively try and find contradicting views just so that I can remind myself that just because these people are reporting it, does not mean it is the complete truth.
The bias' were also a lot of fun and very interesting for me too. It's so much easier for me to recognize them in different situations and people now that I've learned all about them. The confirmation bias and representative bias are so applicable to both situations I find myself in and when I'm listening to people try and confirm something or make a statement about things that they think they know are true. The media is probably the worst at the this and it's a joke at how easy it is now to point it out, especially when talking about politics.
I think I see your point and I agree.
I also think the fact that Bias is the result of struggle for survival should be an important aspects to consider.
Bias is a very important thing to consider and is definitely a good thing to take away from the class. When learning about them in Chapter one I definitely found myself thinking of some times in everyday life when I fell into the traps of one of the biases. From now on I'll try to keep them in mind, as should all of our classmates!
These principles definitely can help us be better consumers of information!
Bias is a crucial thing to remember in everyday life. Especially in the news, where a story is nearly always slanted towards one side of the story, it is important to consider the bias when determining the truth.
It's funny how "liberal bias" is overused by Fox News to describe anyone who has ideas of progress or governmental assent and equality. After this course I'll be more aware of close-minded people and their motivations because of their biases.
This is a really good point. I have only recently learned to try to avoid the confirmation bias. As a history major, I have come to accept that there are 2 sides to every story, and they are usually both wrong. So often, it is crucial to understands a person's background in order to understand their present perspective.