The definition
Peter Cathcart Wason in 1960 used the term because people are biased towards confirmation of their beliefs. Did he use confirmation bias to explain the existence of confirmation bias?
In my opinion it is great the ability of our body (in general not to go into the field of neuroscience) to dose energy and create shortcuts that allow us to operate or process automatically. It is important to know that this ability, which makes efficient use of energy, can be a blocker when tackling complex problems or innovating.
Examples of confirmation bias
Throughout the day we make decisions, draw conclusions, generate hypotheses, believe things, so the confirmation bias is more present than we think, helps us not to wear ourselves out, also to increase confidence, generates learning, saves time, gives us security, but does not allow us to see all the information that surrounds us and that limits our ability to solve, for example:
- When we read news that confirms our political beliefs.
- When we interpret the actions of others according to our beliefs.
- Ignoring customer complaints when creating a new product or service.
- Surveys such as Do you think it is a good idea if we offer this new product?
Imagine a doctor has a diagnosis of the patient before seeing the test results, imagine he only focuses on evidence to support his idea and does not take the other evidence with the same weight/attention, what would be the impact?
How do we overcome or minimise confirmation bias in a company?
One of the ways I use is to change the approach by using opposing scenarios or, for example:
- Why do you think this is not the solution?
- Why did this product fail when it came to market?
- What do you hate about our service?
Another way is to assume that you are in a confirmation bias and look for data or information that is contrary to your way of thinking.
When you feel you are in a bias situation, embrace the moment, don’t get discouraged, accept it because it is natural and it is a good time to get some air, water or coffee.
Conclusion
In my opinion confirmation bias is one of our many skills that we need to understand, know and identify in order to try to use or minimise where appropriate.
How difficult can it be to minimise confirmation bias, what do you think, and can you give some examples?
