We have a tendency to alter interpretation of information to confirm our existing beliefs
Summary
- We have a tendency to alter interpretation of information to confirm our existing beliefs
- This is true even if we think we are open-minded
- It is hard for us to alter our beliefs to fit new information
Details
- Our pre-exisitng beliefs are not necessarily formed by scientific principle
References
Quotes
We might think of ourselves as open-minded and capable of updating our beliefs based on new information, but the research conclusively shows otherwise. Instead of altering our beliefs to fit new information, we do the opposite, altering our interpretation of that information to fit our beliefs.
The results mirrored those found by Hastorf and Cantril nearly sixty years before: “Our subjects all viewed the same video. But what they saw—earnest voicing of dissent intended only to persuade, or physical intimidation calculated to interfere with the freedom of others—depended on the congruence of the protestors’ positions with the subjects’ own cultural values.” Whether it is a football game, a protest, or just about anything else, our pre-existing beliefs influence the way we experience the world. That those beliefs aren’t formed in a particularly orderly way leads to all sorts of mischief in our decision-making.