Roger views himself lucky, while his friend Larry views himself unlucky. They each take $100 to a casino and play blackjack for 3 hours. When they leave, they have each lost $20. What does research on the confirmation bias suggest will happen?
A)Due to their losses, Larry will maintain his view of himself and Roger will begin to change his view of himself.
B)Both men will reason that they were willing to lose $100 but only lost $20, so it is as if they won $80; so, Roger will maintain his view of himself and Larry will begin to change his.
C)Larry will begin to change his view of himself, reasoning that he was willing to lose $100 but he only lost $20, so it is as if he won $80. Since he lost money, Roger will also begin to change his view of himself.
D)Larry will maintain his view of himself because of his loss. Roger will also maintain his view of himself, reasoning that he was willing to lose $100 but he only lost $20, so it is actually like he won $80.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias suggests that individuals tend to interpret information in a way that confirms their preexisting beliefs or expectations. In this case, both Roger and Larry had the expectation to lose $100 and they both lost $20, which could be interpreted as a "win" of $80. However, since Larry views himself as unlucky, he is likely to focus on the fact that he lost money and maintain his belief. Roger, on the other hand, views himself as lucky and may interpret the situation as a "win" and maintain his belief. Thus, both men are likely to maintain their preexisting beliefs rather than change them based on this experience.

Roger Views Himself Lucky, While His Friend Larry Views Himself