Confirmation bias - The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs.

Illusory correlation - The perception of a relationship between two variables when only a minor or absolutely no relationship actually exists.

Implicit personality theories - Sets of beliefs about how certain traits or personality characteristics tend to be associated with each other.

Confirmation bias leads us to see what we want to see. Let's say, you've decided all dogs are friendly because your pet Fido is a sweetheart. So, whenever you see a friendly dog, it reinforces your belief, ignoring any instances of aggressive dogs you come across.

This plays into illusory correlations - for example, you might link popularity to wearing branded clothes, simply because the popular kids in your school happen to dress that way, ignoring that popularity isn't determined by brands.

Ever wondered why some people think all muscular, bald men are dangerous? This happens due to implicit personality theories. It's like carrying around a rule book in your head saying "All bald, muscular men = dangerous", based on past experiences or popular media, like action movies.