Confirmation bias (independent, biased, parties, vs)

[fishmonger]

do you ever notice yourself having it? I do. I can never know whether an opinion I hold (politically) is the result of rational thought or the result of selectively choosing knowledge and evidence to bolster the previously held point of view. Is confirmation bias the reason that "liberals" and "conservatives" agree with their "kind" on so much, or does it just have to do with conflicting world views of some sort?

[mrsengle]

Three cheers for you, fishmonger! I think everyone is guilty of this, and it takes a big person to point it out and admit that they might not be perfect.

The one common denominator that liberals and conservatives share is that they don't want this country to go to hell in a handbasket - they want things to improve - they just have a different idea of how to go about accomplishing that.

I also think that the information available to us is very incomplete, and in most cases, quite biased. It's hard to take a look at the big picture when you only see certain pieces that don't always fit together - but it looks like they do, or they could.

Great post - your statements are my definition of what being truly 'open-minded' really is - being able to admit you aren't perfect and don't have all the answers. Nobody does.

[MooksterL1]

Since confirmation bias is a cognitive development where our brains disseminate information in relation to our beliefs, I think it definitely applies to politics. Probably more so than we like to admit, especially if we consider ourselves free thinkers. It's difficult to be self-aware or free thinking when our very belief system is steeped in the societal bias of our individual culture. There is no way around it, unless you are raised in a bubble with no human interaction and then you would be incapable of articulating a thought so it wouldn't matter. The idiom "birds of a feather flock together" seems to fit here.

[TXboomerang]

Originally Posted by fishmonger

do you ever notice yourself having it? I do. I can never know whether an opinion I hold (politically) is the result of rational thought or the result of selectively choosing knowledge and evidence to bolster the previously held point of view. Is confirmation bias the reason that "liberals" and "conservatives" agree with their "kind" on so much, or does it just have to do with conflicting world views of some sort?

I think some people have it worse than others, but I also think sometimes discussion boards such as these help people open their eyes (not everyone, lol) to the fact that there are 2 sides to every story.

I think I was guilty of it a lot more 3 or 4 years ago. But I think I've leveled out a bit by listening to other people. I don't change my mind on matters very frequently, but I do find that occasionally if you just listen with open ears, you'll find the other side has at least some points that you can agree are reasonable points, even if you don't agree with the actual point.

I don't watch as much news as I used to, mainly because I cut my cable back to local programming just to save $50 a month. But when I watched, I would agree with Hannity sometimes, and sometimes I would see him as a ranting luny. Same thing with Chris Matthews, or Anderson Cooper.

But you have to watch out for blogs and news websites who are one sided as they like to hide facts to push agendas. Take everything with a grain of salt...

[Rita Mordio]

I love this thread. Props for the creator. In my biased opinion, there at least 3 sides to every story:

Your Side
Their Side
"The people who don't give a............'s" Side

People will usually read into something and out of instinct, only pull what is important to them. The only way to fix this is to be open minded and not act like somebody is personally against you, when it is just their opinion vs yours. As Voltaire said:

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it"

[Veiled Prophet]

Oooops!!! I thought this was about being confirmed into a church and/or religion.

I do love the OP though and I think that most people are definitely of group think, so to speak. Myself, I have always been the one that never fit in because I always thought independently, not always right of course but quite independent. I have been saying something about immigration and the way that the government was going long before it was a colol thing to do or say and back then I was most definitely called a kook. It is kind of nice to know and to realize that there are some who agree with what I have been saying lo all these many years now.

[TnHilltopper]

Originally Posted by MooksterL1

Since confirmation bias is a cognitive development where our brains disseminate information in relation to our beliefs, I think it definitely applies to politics. Probably more so than we like to admit, especially if we consider ourselves free thinkers. It's difficult to be self-aware or free thinking when our very belief system is steeped in the societal bias of our individual culture. There is no way around it, unless you are raised in a bubble with no human interaction and then you would be incapable of articulating a thought so it wouldn't matter. The idiom "birds of a feather flock together" seems to fit here.

What about those raised in a bubble of ignorance where their greatest influence in early life was from that of uneducated parents? Do you feel that growing up in such an environment would make the more susceptible to confirmation bias in general or more independent to outside social bias?

[MooksterL1]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

What about those raised in a bubble of ignorance where their greatest influence in early life was from that of uneducated parents? Do you feel that growing up in such an environment would make the more susceptible to confirmation bias in general or more independent to outside social bias?

I think this goes back to nature vs. nurture and the debate over which plays the most important role in shaping an individual. I lean towards thinking that it comes down to inherent personality and is not predictable from person to person. There are people that follow along like contented sheep, doing what is expected or valued by their nearest and dearest. Then there are those that question what is truth and logic, making a conscious individual choice in their belief system. I do not think it's possible to grow up in any society without social bias; however, I think there are those who are able to see the big picture and there are those who look through a straw.

[Rggr]

Great thread. I think people have differing views and also pay more attention to information that confirms their perspective. In addition, when people only communicate with people that agree with them, their views become more extreme and entrenched.

[jco]

Nice thread, fishmonger. I automatically dismiss some sources as being from a biased side when they may in fact be right in their findings.

Is confirmation bias the reason that "liberals" and "conservatives" agree with their "kind" on so much, or does it just have to do with conflicting world views of some sort?

I think it's partially confirmation bias and partially that the parties have similar core principles. It would be interesting to have a thread asking what the three core principles of each party are.