Imagine that you read an article about a political scandal, confirming everything you thought about a politician you dislike. You text a friend, who supports the politician, and she thinks the article completely vindicates the politician. How did you both read the same article and come up with different conclusions? It could be an example of confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias occurs when a person interprets a situation according to their own pre-existing beliefs. Also known as “myside bias,” the slanted cognitive perspective ignores information that invalidates their opinion. Each new set of evidence serves to prove what the person already believes, reinforcing one’s personal bias and stereotypes.

Confirmation-bias meaning

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