Confirmation bias causes humans to only process information they want to hear
Evidence strongly supports the presence of confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, which lead individuals to selectively process information aligned with their existing beliefs, although certain conditions like information utility can occasionally override this tendency.
The retrieved papers consistently demonstrate that humans exhibit confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, selectively exposing themselves to and processing information that aligns with pre-existing beliefs or desires. While factors like information utility or high cognitive engagement can sometimes moderate these effects, no paper refutes the general phenomenon that confirmation bias shapes information processing. Therefore, the claim is supported.
Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Cornelia Mothes, Nick Polavin. Confirmation Bias, Ingroup Bias, and Negativity Bias in Selective Exposure to Political Information. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650217719596
The study demonstrates confirmation bias in selective exposure to political information.
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Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Steven B. Kleinman. Preelection Selective Exposure. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650211400597
Results confirm that confirmation bias drives selective exposure, though it can be overridden under certain conditions.
Benoît Béchard, J. Kimmerle, J. Lawarée, Pierre-Olivier Bédard, Sharon E. Straus, Mathieu Ouimet. The Impact of Information Presentation and Cognitive Dissonance on Processing Systematic Review Summaries: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Bicycle Helmet Legislation. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106234
The research shows that motivated reasoning and cognitive dissonance interfere with how readers process information.
Clark CJ, Kerry N, Graso M, Tetlock PE. Morally offensive scientific findings activate cognitive chicanery.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70035
Experiments show that people use various belief-system defenses and cognitive strategies to neutralize disturbing or unwanted knowledge claims.
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