Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias is when you only acknowledge facts or ideas that support what you already believe.

• True

• False

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

People tend to believe in news that aligns with their political views, even if the news is not entirely accurate.

• Confirmation Bias

• Implicit Bias

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

When you are more likely to believe something that aligns with your pre-existing beliefs and ignore evidence to the contrary, this is an example of what type of bias?

• Implicit Bias

• Confirmation Bias

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

If you type the question “are dogs better than cats?” into an online search engine, articles that argue in favor of dogs will appear first. If you reverse the question and type “are cats better than dogs?”, you will get results in support of cats. This is an example of what type of bias?

• Implicit Bias

• Confirmation Bias

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

In sentence 3 (reproduced below), the writer is considering deleting the underlined portion, adjusting the punctuation as necessary. Confirmation bias, which describes the human tendency to interpret new information in a way that supports our preexisting beliefs, makes people tend to accept information that confirms what they already believe and reject information that undermines those beliefs. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?

• Keep it, because it completes the writer’s comparison between the way people think they make decisions and the way they actually make decisions.

• Keep it, because it develops the writer’s ideas by providing a definition of confirmation bias, which is the central concept of the passage.

• Keep it, because it advances a narrative in the passage about how the writer came to understand the importance of confirmation bias.

• Delete it, because it fails to add vivid details about or examples of confirmation bias, making the writing less effective.

• Delete it, because it introduces a cause of bias in the way people accept or reject ideas whose effects are not elaborated on later in the passage.

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.3

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.8.3

CCSS.RI.11-12.3

The writer is considering deleting the underlined independent clause in sentence 7 (reproduced below), adjusting the punctuation as necessary. In a classic experiment, students who watched their schools compete in a football game subsequently remembered the adversary’s team performing worse than their own: confirmation bias caused the students, who already believed in their own school’s superiority, to interpret what they had seen as support for their preexisting beliefs. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?

• Keep it, because it suggests that certain groups of people may be more susceptible than others to confirmation bias.

• Keep it, because it provides an example that explains how confirmation bias affects memory.

• Keep it, because it contains a personal story about confirmation bias that appeals to a wide audience.

• Delete it, because it interferes with the flow of the paragraph by introducing evidence that is not relevant.

• Delete it, because it contradicts the claim made earlier in the sentence.

Horoscopes tend to be highly interpretive, allowing people to believe it no matter what: you simply find the interpretation of the horoscope that supports your own perspective.

• Implicit Bias

• Confirmation Bias

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

Detectives will believe they know there are patterns in all their investigations. When they come up with a theory, they’ll go out there to try to confirm that theory by looking for supporting evidence.

• Confirmation Bias

• Implicit Bias

Tags

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.L.8.6

We tend to think a referee made a good call when it is beneficial for our team, but if it goes against our team, there’s a good chance we will think the referee made a bad call.

• Confirmation Bias

• Implicit Bias

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

Which of the following is an example of confirmation bias?

• A person seeking out diverse opinions on a political issue.

• A person changing their belief after reading a well-researched article.

• A person only reading articles that support their belief in a specific diet while ignoring those that criticize it.

• A person discussing their views with friends who have different opinions.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6