What is Confirmation Bias? The Scientific Method & Peer Review, etc.

Name
Tutor
Course
Date
Confirmation Bias and Reliable sources
Confirmation bias is the tendency of an individual to selectively pick the sources or materials with information that confirms their prior beliefs and ideas (Moser, 2). This behaviour is also referred to as confirmatory bias or myside bias. Two individuals with different perceptions about a particular topic may refer to the same evidence and feel satisfied by that evidence. Interpreting information in a biased way sometimes results in severe misjudgments. Confirmation bias affects how individuals collect information from various sources and influences the manner in which people interpret and recall information (Kosnik 195). Confirmation bias may have a detrimental consequence in the field of science because it can lead to the publication of works with biased information from the authors. When such information is consumed by various recipients such as researchers, it may lead to misconceptions. Some examples may be used to explain the confirmatory bias in real-life situations. For instance, a person who opposes or supports a particular issue has a higher tendency to seek the information that supports their belief, and they will interpret any new information they encounter in a manner that will satisfy their prior views (Kosnik 196). For example, if a person has a belief that left-handed individuals are more creative compared to their right-handed counterparts, whenever such a person encounters a left-handed individual who is more creative, they put much emphasis on such scenario. This person may even look for evidence to prove that their views are true while disregarding any information that provides a contrary opinion. Another real-life scenario that can best explain the confirmation bias is a situation where one individual is a proponent of the gun control policy. This individual seeks materials with the information that reaffirms the importance of gun control. When they encounter news about the shootings in the media, they interpret the entire scenario in a way that supports their beliefs. Conversely, when another individual is an opponent of the gun control policy, they only seek the materials that support their views. When they encounter the same news about the shootings in the media they interpret them in a manner aligned to what they believe in. In this case, two different individuals have different contrasting ideas about the same issue, and their interpretation will be based on what their beliefs.
Not all materials on the internet have valid information and this presents a more significant challenge to the individuals who are looking for reliable information to complete their projects. Gathering reliable information from the internet requires one to have critical thinking skills that will help them acquire credible information. Not all materials found on the internet or library contain reliable information about a sp...