Friday 23 January 2009

Confirmation Bias




Confirmation bias is a tendency to interpret information that confirms preconceptions and avoids information that contradicts beliefs. It is a problem in any debate, but is it more of an issue for Interactive Democracy, when so many people who aren't used to making tough decisions are involved in voting on individual issues?
I suspect that confirmation bias is a significant factor in deciding to vote for "your" party in a Parliamentary Election. It may be less of a problem in Interactive Democracy when votes are cast on narrow issues on which people don't have preformed opinions.

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