Meaning & use
confirmation bias
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The tendency to notice or trust information that supports what you already believe and to ignore opposing evidence.
Grammar: Usually used without 'a' or 'the' when talking about the general concept: Confirmation bias affects everyone. Can take 'the' when referring to a specific instance.
Patterns
- confirmation bias in favor of something
- confirmation bias against something
- show confirmation bias
- overcome confirmation bias
Confirmation bias leads people to read only news that agrees with their views.
The study found that confirmation bias made participants ignore data that contradicted their initial guess.
To reduce confirmation bias, scientists actively look for evidence that could prove them wrong.
Common combinations
- confirmation bias in favor of
- There is a confirmation bias in favor of familiar ideas.
- overcome confirmation bias
- Good managers try to overcome confirmation bias when hiring.
- show confirmation bias
- Both groups showed confirmation bias in how they interpreted the results.
- confirmation bias affects
- Confirmation bias affects even experts in their field.
Synonyms and how they differ
- myside bias
- A more technical term for the same tendency, used mainly in psychology; less common in everyday English.
Word family
Commonly confused: confirmation bias or confirmation?
confirmation bias vs confirmation
Confirmation is the act of proving something is true; confirmation bias is the mental tendency to favor information that supports your existing beliefs.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'confirmation bias' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Confirmation bias is a noun for the tendency to favor information that supports your beliefs. The other options misuse it as a verb or concrete noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “confirmation bias”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.