When a highly flawed study was published linking autism to childhood vaccinations, many parents of children with autism felt that they had finally found their answer to why their child had this condition. No amount of contradictory research could sway their minds, as they only attended to the initial study. This is an example of a belief being maintained by the ________ bias.
A) means-end
B) representativeness
C) availability
D) confirmation
E) exclamatory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias refers to our tendency to seek out information that supports our preexisting beliefs and discount information that contradicts them. In this example, parents of children with autism were already inclined to believe that vaccines were the cause, so they only paid attention to the flawed study that confirmed their beliefs and ignored subsequent research that refuted it.

When a Highly Flawed Study Was Published Linking Autism to Childhood