{"id":598589,"date":"2023-10-07T15:44:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T13:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=598589"},"modified":"2023-10-07T16:05:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T14:05:25","slug":"belief-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/research-bias\/belief-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Belief Bias? | Definition & Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belief bias<\/strong> refers to the tendency to evaluate the strength of an argument based on its plausibility. Instead of considering the validity of the argument itself, we rely on our prior knowledge and beliefs. In other words, if an argument aligns with our beliefs, we tend to accept it.<\/p>\n

Belief bias example<\/figcaption>You come across the following statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cScientific studies have consistently shown that there is little nutritional difference between organic and conventional foods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because you firmly believe that an all-organic diet is superior to a conventional one, you are skeptical and quickly dismiss the argument, even though it provides scientific evidence.<\/figure>\n

As a result of belief bias, we often fall for \u201cbelievable\u201d arguments and reject \u201cunbelievable\u201d ones without properly examining whether they are valid.<\/p>\n

What is belief bias?<\/h2>\n

Belief bias is a cognitive bias<\/a> that causes us to judge the validity of a claim or conclusion based on how believable we find it. With belief bias, our knowledge about the world influences how we evaluate arguments. This leads us to accept arguments as true because they make sense to us (i.e., they are believable), and not because they are logically valid.<\/p>\n

Belief bias occurs in the context of syllogistic reasoning. A syllogism is a type of deductive<\/a> argument consisting of two premises and a conclusion that follows from the premises (e.g., \u201cAll men are human; all humans are mortal; therefore, all men are mortal\u201d). A deductive argument moves from the general to the specific, and it is logically valid only<\/strong> when both premises are true.<\/p>\n

For example, consider the following argument: \u201cAll flowers have petals; daffodils have petals; therefore, daffodils are flowers.\u201d Most people would find this argument acceptable because everyone knows that daffodils are flowers.<\/p>\n

However, the argument is logically unsound because not all flowers have petals. Due to belief bias, most of us would readily accept the conclusion because it aligns with what we know and overlook the fact that the first premise (\u201call flowers have petals\u201d) is wrong.<\/p>\n

Why does belief bias occur?<\/h2>\n

Belief bias is a consequence of our reasoning process. On the one hand, we try to apply the rules of logic, and, on the other hand, we tend to incorporate prior beliefs into our judgments and inferences.<\/p>\n

Relying on prior knowledge or beliefs can be helpful when we are faced with unfamiliar situations in our everyday lives. However, it can be detrimental in cases where the goal is to assess the validity of an argument (e.g., in a court of law). In such cases, relying on what we already know gives rise to belief bias.<\/p>\n

Belief bias is a complex phenomenon. Some of the factors that play a role in it include:<\/p>\n