Pitfalls of Thinking: Confirmation Bias (1/2)

Confirmation bias is a tendency to search for, interpret or remember information in a way that confirms preconceptions or working hypotheses. People can reinforce their existing attitudes by selectively collecting new evidence, by interpreting evidence in a biased way or by selectively recalling information from memory. Some psychologists use "confirmation bias" for any of these three cognitive biases, while others restrict the term to selective collection of evidence, using assimilation bias for biased interpretation.

I explore the use of confirmation bias in three areas:
1. Alternative health practices
2. Intelligent design creationism
3. HIV/AIDS denialism

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Confirmation
• bias
• alternative
• health
• intelligent
• design
• creationism
• null
• hypothesis
• ad
• hoc
• rationalization
• critical
• thinking
• science

[toppinzr]

Colloidal silver does actually work as an antibiotic, something you don't mention.

[C0nc0rdance]

@toppinzr

Topically ONLY, and it does so by non-specific heavy metal toxicity. Uranium, Lead and Mercury work just as well.

[octarhaberee]

The colloidal silver example reminds me of being in car of a family of believers when I was a child- back in the days of carburetors and starting problems due to "flooding". The car wouldn't start so the mother had everyone bow their heads and close their eyes and pray that God would let the car start on the next try.

Of course after the long pause and the problem had taken care of itself the mom was able to start the car up - Oh the power of prayer!

[mark0s3000]

Conspiracy theorists desperately seek support for their claims. They can get very creative.

[Laughingblades]

Hehehe this topic has interested me for years.

[pythor2]

I think you misspelled "argyria" at 4:28

[finderfinder100]

Who wants to be turned into a smurf? I don't think that is a risk i would want to take.

[slmrcs]

If you want to make a video about confirmation bias, and critical thinking, then the point should be made that such errors in thinking are independent, from whatever the topic is. Basically, being correct about a belief, does not mean one has arrived at the conclusions correctly. Your implication is that people believe in alt health because they are using poor reasoning, but conventional medicine is correct reasoning?

[Kuymal]

I think it might also be the case that confirmation bias can affect the structure of a test intended to confirm/falsify a given hypothesis. For years, studies showed that dogs had no sense of "self" by testing a dog's reaction to a mirror. The error was that the mirror is based on sight trumping sound/smell, not true in dogs. Ditto on early studies on canine color vision.The assumption was dogs didn't have it ( they do, just not as good as ours).

[JinMakkto]

Oh C0nnie, that quote at 2:08 is beautiful.

"Once you start looking for it, you'll find confirmation bias in all sorts of places."

[seeqer66]

I use colloidal silver, chiropractors, vitamins (not mega-doses) and herbal medicine. All of these things have made real improvements in my health.

Chiropractors work great for fixing a bad back or neck.

If you use colloidal silver, as you would use an anti-biotic, it's harmless. In other words, don't take it every day with your vitamins. It works too.

Willow Bark Tea will get rid of a headache faster than anything on the market.

Yohimbe Bark works for ED.