Discusses Confirmation Bias in relation to a personal experience.

1. CONFIRMATION BIAS IN
RELATION TO PIZZA-
EATING FRIEND
EXAMPLE
Hannah Ashburn

2. PERSONAL STORY: MY NEW
FRIEND ONLY EATS PIZZA!!!
• DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE I HAD MET A
NEW FRIEND
• WHENEVER I WOULD EAT WITH HER SHE HAD PIZZA EVEN
IF IT WAS A BUFFET AND HER ROOMMATE TOLD ME SHE
WAS A PICKY EATER SO I CONCLUDED THAT ALL SHE
CONSUMED WAS PIZZA
• I WOULD PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO WHEN SHE WOULD
TALK ABOUT WANTING PIZZA AND I WOULD EVEN ASK HER
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY SHE LIKED PIZZA
• EVEN WHEN PEOPLE TOLD ME SHE ATE OTHER THINGS I
NEVER BELIEVED THEM

3. DEFINING
CONFIRMATION BIAS
 WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL POSSESSES AN INITIAL
BELIEF OR IMPRESSION ABOUT AN IDEA/TOPIC,
THEY TEND SEARCH FOR INFORMATION TO
CONFIRM THEIR BELIEFS
 Aronson, 2012, p. 152-154

4. CONFIRMATION BIAS: A
RELEVANT STUDIES
 STUDY (MARK SNYDER AND WILLIAM SWANN)- FEMALE
COLLEGE STUDENT WAS TOLD THE PERSON SHE WAS
INTERVIEWING WAS AN INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT. THEY
ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WERE CONGRUENT WITH THIS
BELIEF AND THE INTERVIEWEE WOULD LIKELY ANSWER IN
A WAY THAT CONFIRMED THE BELIEF
 EX QUESTION FOR INTROVERT: WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE
ABOUT LOUD PARTIES?
 DEMONSTRATES HOW WE TRY TO MAINTAIN ATTITUDES
THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN
UNDERSTAND OUR OWN SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT TO BE
SECURE
 CAN LEAD TO PROBLEMS IN HOW WE THINK ABOUT
OTHERS AND OUR SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS EX: LABELS

5. TIE TOGETHER
 I BEGAN WITH AN INITIAL IMPRESSION THAT MY FRIEND WAS A PICKY
EATER. PLUS, THE FACT THAT SHE ONLY ATE PIZZA AT A BUFFET LED
ME TO FORM THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ALL SHE ATE WAS PIZZA
 I ASKED QUESTIONS RELATED TO HER LIKING PIZZA AND PAID
ATTENTION TO HOW SHE TALKED POSITIVELY ABOUT PIZZA IN ORDER
TO CONFIRM MY BELIEF
 I DENIED CONTRADICTORY EVIDENCE FROM OTHERS BECAUSE I WAS
SEEKING SUPPORT FOR MY OWN IMPRESSION
 THIS IS CONFIRMATION BIAS!!! I AM TRYING TO MAINTAIN AN IDEA
ALREADY IN PLACE

6. RESOURCES
 Aronson, E. & Aronson, J. (2012). The social animal. (11th ed.). New York,
USA: Worth Publishers.