Question

When people seek information to support their point of view and discount data that do not, they are subject to ______ bias. For example, Joe uses the fact that his commute is now shorter to confirm his belief that there are fewer cars on the road. However, Joe is not accounting for the fact that he recently took over the graveyard shift, and that traffic is always lighter at night and in the wee hours of the morning.

Answer 1

Answer:

Confirmation bias.

Explanation:

Confirmation bias is defined as the tendency for an individual to recall and favour information that confirms one's previous beliefs or hypothesis. It is a form of cognitive bias.

In the given example Joe only accepted information that would confirm his belief that there are fewer cars on the road (that is his commute is now shorter).

He however rejected the information that he now works the night shift, a period when traffic is low.