Confirmation Bias in Visual Search

In a series of experiments, we investigated the ubiquity of confirmation bias in cognition by measuring whether visual selection is prioritized for information that would confirm a proposition about a visual display. We show that attention is preferentially deployed to stimuli matching a target temp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance 2015-10, Vol.41 (5), p.1353-1364
Main Authors: Rajsic, Jason, Wilson, Daryl E., Pratt, Jay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attention
Attention - physiology
Bias
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Bias
Confirmation Bias
Human
Humans
Information processing
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Sensory perception
Visual Displays
Visual Search
Young Adult
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Summary:In a series of experiments, we investigated the ubiquity of confirmation bias in cognition by measuring whether visual selection is prioritized for information that would confirm a proposition about a visual display. We show that attention is preferentially deployed to stimuli matching a target template, even when alternate strategies would reduce the number of searches necessary. We argue that this effect is an involuntary consequence of goal-directed processing, and show that it can be reduced when ample time is provided to prepare for search. These results support the notion that capacity-limited cognitive processes contribute to the biased selection of information that characterizes confirmation bias.
ISSN:0096-1523
1939-1277
DOI:10.1037/xhp0000090