What psychological phenomenon describes the tendency of people to seek out and interpret information that confirms preexisting beliefs?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. confirmation bias
- Step 1: Confirmation bias is a pervasive cognitive bias where individuals actively search for, favor, and recall information that reinforces their prior assumptions. Simultaneously, they discount, dismiss, or ignore empirical data that challenges or contradicts their established worldview. Answer: confirmation bias. Why not the others: "cognitive dissonance avoidance trait" is the psychological discomfort felt when holding contradictory beliefs, which may lead to bias; "hindsight bias retrospection" is the common inclination to see past events as having been predictable ('I knew it all along'); "availability heuristic model" is evaluating probability based on how easily examples immediately come to mind.
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