確認偏誤

槍械擁有問題等觀點二極的議題可以看出人對新證據的偏見詮釋。

確認偏誤（或稱確認偏差、證實偏差、肯證偏誤、驗證偏誤、驗證性偏見，英语：Confirmation bias）是個人選擇性地回憶、蒐集有利細節，忽略不利或矛盾的資訊，來支持自己已有的想法或假设的趋势，属其中一类認知偏誤和归纳推理中的一个系统性错误。当人们选择性收集或回忆信息时，又或带有偏见地解读信息时，他们便展现了確認偏誤。

這種偏見尤其顯見於带有强烈情绪的問題和傳統觀念上。例如，人們面對情傷，大多難以割捨，會在反覆的情緒中來回擺盪掙扎，過程中不斷回顧並對自己給予合理的解釋與交代，直到身心得到平衡安頓為止。回顧與重新認知的過程會建構一個新的認知事實，它受到個人價值觀、家人或傳統社會的壓力、或宗教信仰等批判或趨避的影響，而傾向採取對自己較為有利的說法或選擇性的認知，以合理化整個事件，進而化解外部壓力並獲得身心上的平衡。又例如，當談及槍支管制問題時，人們常偏好支持自己原立場，觀點，也傾向將模稜兩可的事實做有利於自己的解釋。偏見的搜索、理解和回憶，常被用來說明態度極化（即使爭論雙方都依附於相同的根據，爭執仍變得極端）、信念固著（在反證出現後依然堅信原有看法）、非理性首因效應（即強烈的「先入為主」效應）及錯覺相關（對二件偶然事件做無根據的連結的傾向）等現象。

參見

• 敵對媒體現象
• 認知偏誤列表
• 觀察者期望效應
• 選擇性接觸理論
• 迴聲室效應
• 特例假設

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