practice7-q4Confirmation Bias Scientists regularly test theories and ideas by subjecting them to extensive experimentation. The results of such experiments are then analyzed to support, refute, or modify previously held ideas. When scientists discover tha

practice7-q4

Confirmation Bias

Scientists regularly test theories and ideas by subjecting them to extensive experimentation. The results of such experiments are then analyzed to support, refute, or modify previously held ideas. When scientists discover that their results from an experiment disagree with or refute a previously held belief, especially when this belief is widely accepted, they tend to reevaluate their evidence. They do this until they acquire results that support their expectations, regardless of how well their experiments were initially conducted or how clear their results were. This common difficulty that scientists must overcome while analyzing experimental results is confirmation bias.