A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What is an example of a cognitive bias?

1. Social loafing

2. Confirmation bias

3. Self-serving bias

4. Fundamental attribution error

The correct answer is: Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias where individuals tend to favor information that supports their existing beliefs or hypotheses while disregarding or downplaying evidence that contradicts those beliefs. This form of bias can significantly affect decision-making and can lead individuals to become more entrenched in their viewpoints, as they seek out or give more weight to information that aligns with what they already believe. For example, in a research study, a person who believes in a particular theory may only seek out studies that support their viewpoint and ignore those that provide evidence against it. This can create a distorted perception of reality and hinder critical thinking and objective evaluation of information. This is distinct from social loafing, which refers to the tendency of individuals to put in less effort when working in a group compared to working alone. Self-serving bias, on the other hand, is the tendency for individuals to attribute their successes to internal factors while blaming external factors for their failures. The fundamental attribution error involves the tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics while undervaluing situational influences when explaining someone else's behavior. Each of these concepts pertains to different aspects of psychology but does not specifically illustrate a cognitive bias as directly as confirmation bias does.