Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is a tendency to seek, interpret, or evaluate evidence in ways that favor an existing belief, expectation, or hypothesis. It describes several related patterns rather than an inevitable response to disagreement. Agreement with a prior belief does not itself demonstrate bias; the question is how fairly supporting and conflicting evidence are considered.
Term statusEstablished Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled. About these labels.
Evidence for the claims on this page: Research synthesis
The review describes several patterns of reasoning. It cannot diagnose the cause of one person’s conclusion from that conclusion alone.
How to read this assessmentWhat it is
Confirmation bias refers to selective information seeking, interpretation, or evaluation that favors a prior belief or hypothesis. It describes several related patterns rather than a single behavior that occurs in every situation. (Raymond S. Nickerson, 1998)
In everyday language
People may look harder for reasons they are right than for reasons they could be mistaken. They may also scrutinize opposing evidence more strictly than evidence they welcome.
What it isn't
It is not proof that a person's belief is false. Accepting a well-supported claim is not biased merely because it agrees with a prior view.
An example
Hypothetical example: a reader accepts generated articles supporting a theory while dismissing contrary research without examining its methods.
Key features
- Can affect which evidence is sought
- Can affect how the same evidence is interpreted
- Is identified by patterns of evaluation, not disagreement alone
How it relates to synthetic imprinting
Prior beliefs may shape how people select and interpret synthetic content. A study of lasting change should measure those beliefs before exposure.
Research context
Nickerson's review describes confirmation bias across multiple forms of reasoning. The concept supports examining how evidence is handled; it does not justify inferring someone's thought process from a single conclusion. (Raymond S. Nickerson, 1998)
Related terms
Sources and what they support
- Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises — Raymond S. Nickerson (1998). Review of General Psychology.
Peer-reviewed research. Reviews forms of selective evidence seeking and interpretation that favor existing beliefs or hypotheses.
Cite this definition
SyntheticImprinting.com Editorial Project. (2026-09-27). Confirmation Bias. Version 1.4. SyntheticImprinting.com. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/confirmation-bias/
APA: SyntheticImprinting.com. (2026). Confirmation Bias. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/confirmation-bias/
MLA: “Confirmation Bias.” SyntheticImprinting.com, 2026, https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/confirmation-bias/. Accessed November 12, 2026.
Chicago: SyntheticImprinting.com. “Confirmation Bias.” Last modified 2026-09-27. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/confirmation-bias/.
Revision history
- Version 1.4 · Current
Added claim-level citations and a separate assessment of evidence support. The opening definition is unchanged.
Read this version’s definition
Confirmation bias is a tendency to seek, interpret, or evaluate evidence in ways that favor an existing belief, expectation, or hypothesis. It describes several related patterns rather than an inevitable response to disagreement. Agreement with a prior belief does not itself demonstrate bias; the question is how fairly supporting and conflicting evidence are considered.
- Version 1.3
Expanded the opening definition; added explicit boundaries, source context, related-term cards, and linked editorial attribution.
Read the previous definition
Confirmation bias is a tendency to seek, interpret, or evaluate evidence in ways that favor an existing belief, expectation, or hypothesis. It describes several related patterns rather than an inevitable response to disagreement. Agreement with a prior belief does not itself demonstrate bias; the question is how fairly supporting and conflicting evidence are considered.
- Version 1.0
Definition recorded in the previous release. Earlier edits are not reconstructed here.
Read the previous definition
Confirmation bias is a tendency to seek or interpret evidence in ways that favor an existing belief, expectation, or hypothesis.
What the status means
Established Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled.
How evidence labels workHelp improve this entry
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