Post by ck4829 on Mar 14, 2017 11:39:27 GMT
Aside from avoiding unpleasant information, people can also selectively direct their attention to pieces of content that confirm their beliefs, while also forgetting whatever they wished weren't true.
"We commonly think of information as a means to an end. However, a growing theoretical and experimental literature suggests that information may directly enter the agent's utility function. This can create an incentive to avoid information, even when it is useful, free, and independent of strategic considerations," the researchers noted.
For instance, people who are on a specific diet and trying to lose weight will often prefer not to look for the number of calories in a dessert, while those who have a higher risk of developing a certain medical condition will avoid a medical screening that could confirm their fears.
However, information avoidance can be more nuanced when it comes to everyday life. People choose the news sources that best align with their beliefs instead of getting information from a wide array of sources, as this could challenge their understanding of the world.
...
A confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a manner that confirms one's beliefs, while giving disproportionate attention to other hypotheses, which are generally conflicting.
"Confirmation bias, as the term is typically used in the psychological literature, connotes the seeking or interpreting of evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations, or a hypothesis in hand," noted a study published in the journal Review of General Psychology, in 1998.
Since the digitalization of information, confirmation biases and information avoidance are easier than ever. The algorithms used by social media networks allow people to follow solely news sources that confirm their existing beliefs, thus potentially encouraging this phenomenon.
In an attempt to address this issue, Facebook has changed its algorithm in August 2016 to prioritize informative stories.
- See more at: www.techtimes.com/articles/201302/20170313/information-avoidance-how-we-select-our-own-reality.htm#sthash.7OSgmg3q.dpuf
"We commonly think of information as a means to an end. However, a growing theoretical and experimental literature suggests that information may directly enter the agent's utility function. This can create an incentive to avoid information, even when it is useful, free, and independent of strategic considerations," the researchers noted.
For instance, people who are on a specific diet and trying to lose weight will often prefer not to look for the number of calories in a dessert, while those who have a higher risk of developing a certain medical condition will avoid a medical screening that could confirm their fears.
However, information avoidance can be more nuanced when it comes to everyday life. People choose the news sources that best align with their beliefs instead of getting information from a wide array of sources, as this could challenge their understanding of the world.
...
A confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a manner that confirms one's beliefs, while giving disproportionate attention to other hypotheses, which are generally conflicting.
"Confirmation bias, as the term is typically used in the psychological literature, connotes the seeking or interpreting of evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations, or a hypothesis in hand," noted a study published in the journal Review of General Psychology, in 1998.
Since the digitalization of information, confirmation biases and information avoidance are easier than ever. The algorithms used by social media networks allow people to follow solely news sources that confirm their existing beliefs, thus potentially encouraging this phenomenon.
In an attempt to address this issue, Facebook has changed its algorithm in August 2016 to prioritize informative stories.
- See more at: www.techtimes.com/articles/201302/20170313/information-avoidance-how-we-select-our-own-reality.htm#sthash.7OSgmg3q.dpuf