Psychology SL
Psychology SL
9
Chapters
238
Notes
Unit 1 - Research Methodology
Unit 1 - Research Methodology
Unit 2 - Biological Approach To Behaviour
Unit 2 - Biological Approach To Behaviour
Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour
Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour
Unit 4 - Sociocultural Approach To Behaviour
Unit 4 - Sociocultural Approach To Behaviour
Unit 6 - Health psychology
Unit 6 - Health psychology
Unit 7 - Pyschology Of Human Relationships
Unit 7 - Pyschology Of Human Relationships
Unit 8 - Developmental psychology
Unit 8 - Developmental psychology
Unit 9 - Internal Assessment
Unit 9 - Internal Assessment
Unit 10 - The IB Curriculum - A Conceptual Model
Unit 10 - The IB Curriculum - A Conceptual Model
IB Resources
Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour
Psychology SL
Psychology SL

Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour

Unlocking The Secrets Of Confirmation Bias In Decision-Making

Word Count Emoji
559 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024

Table of content

Confirmation bias

This psychological concept refers to our tendency to favor information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs while we often ignore information that contradicts them. Remember that friend of yours who always insists that their favorite basketball team is the best even when they're losing? That's confirmation bias in action!

Key example- wason's four-card problem

Peter Wason, a cognitive psychologist, created a popular experiment in 1968 which showed how confirmation bias influences our decision-making.

 

Wason presented participants with a logical task involving four cards. The rule was "If a card has a vowel on one side, then it has an even number on the other side". Participants were asked to identify which cards needed to be turned over to verify this rule.

 

Most participants chose cards "A" or "A and 4" - but they were wrong! The correct answer was "A and 7". Why? Because to truly test the rule, you need to identify instances that can falsify the rule, not just confirm it.

 

So remember, it's like trying to prove that all swans are white - you'd need to find a non-white swan to really test your theory!

Congruence bias

Some psychologists argue that "confirmation bias" doesn't fully explain our decision-making patterns. They propose the term "congruence bias" instead. This suggests our decisions are influenced by our failure to consider alternative hypotheses.

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IB Resources
Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour
Psychology SL
Psychology SL

Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour

Unlocking The Secrets Of Confirmation Bias In Decision-Making

Word Count Emoji
559 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024

Table of content

Confirmation bias

This psychological concept refers to our tendency to favor information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs while we often ignore information that contradicts them. Remember that friend of yours who always insists that their favorite basketball team is the best even when they're losing? That's confirmation bias in action!

Key example- wason's four-card problem

Peter Wason, a cognitive psychologist, created a popular experiment in 1968 which showed how confirmation bias influences our decision-making.

 

Wason presented participants with a logical task involving four cards. The rule was "If a card has a vowel on one side, then it has an even number on the other side". Participants were asked to identify which cards needed to be turned over to verify this rule.

 

Most participants chose cards "A" or "A and 4" - but they were wrong! The correct answer was "A and 7". Why? Because to truly test the rule, you need to identify instances that can falsify the rule, not just confirm it.

 

So remember, it's like trying to prove that all swans are white - you'd need to find a non-white swan to really test your theory!

Congruence bias

Some psychologists argue that "confirmation bias" doesn't fully explain our decision-making patterns. They propose the term "congruence bias" instead. This suggests our decisions are influenced by our failure to consider alternative hypotheses.

Unlock the Full Content! File Is Locked Emoji

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Psychology SL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟