Pitfalls of Thinking: Confirmation Bias (1/2)
Confirmation bias is a tendency to search for, interpret or remember information in a way that confirms preconceptions or working hypotheses. People can reinforce their existing attitudes by selectively collecting new evidence, by interpreting evidence in a biased way or by selectively recalling information from memory. Some psychologists use “confirmation bias” for any of these three cognitive biases, while others restrict the term to selective collection of evidence, using assimilation bias for biased interpretation. I explore the use of confirmation bias in three areas: 1. Alternative health practices 2. Intelligent design creationism 3. HIV/AIDS denialism
Pitfalls of Thinking: Confirmation Bias (1/2)
Shingles Health eBook
This eBook is a useful guide to treating shingles. Symptoms, diagnosis, acute care, shingles and Phn pain relief, blister care and shingles vaccination are covered. Shingles resources are reviewed. Alternative remedies for shingles are also presented.
Shingles Health eBook
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I think it might also be the case that confirmation bias can affect the structure of a test intended to confirm/falsify a given hypothesis. For years, studies showed that dogs had no sense of “self” by testing a dog’s reaction to a mirror. The error was that the mirror is based on sight trumping sound/smell, not true in dogs. Ditto on early studies on canine color vision.The assumption was dogs didn’t have it ( they do, just not as good as ours).
Oh C0nnie, that quote at 2:08 is beautiful.
“Once you start looking for it, you’ll find confirmation bias in all sorts of places.”
People who believe all of these things can’t be reasoned with.
I use colloidal silver, chiropractors, vitamins (not mega-doses) and herbal medicine. All of these things have made real improvements in my health.
Chiropractors work great for fixing a bad back or neck.
If you use colloidal silver, as you would use an anti-biotic, it’s harmless. In other words, don’t take it every day with your vitamins. It works too.
Willow Bark Tea will get rid of a headache faster than anything on the market.
Yohimbe Bark works for ED.
Knowing about confirmation bias is hugely important for todays world due to the various forms of media like the newspaper, internet, tv etc and i think there should be alot more emphasis on educating the topic like having it in science text books or make it compulsory in school. i say this because in recent years i have been using the internet as a source of most of information and i have had a recent interest in conspiracy theories. the most important thing is knowing the facts. great upload.
A lot of your videos apply to my mother, she is pretty obsessed about alt med and alarmist, beliefs. She even became a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price foundation, which I’d love to see a vid on. I try to have rational discussions with her, but it always gets down to her saying things like “I don’t believe in right and wrong” “I don’t decide things your way, by evidence and analyzing, I know things in my body (instincts)” recently I actually got her to say “I’m not interested in reality”.
I think most alternative medicine has a basis in a grain of truth, but that this grain is taken out of context and blown out of proportion.
Thank you for constantly pointing out that science never proves anything true so much as it hasn’t proved it false yet. I really wish some of the U.S.A. would catch on and understand the importance of uncertainty and doubt when it comes to science and scientific discoveries. The videos are greatly enjoyable.
The only thing I hate about your videos is that it takes 15 minutes to watch a 10-minute video because you have to stop and read all of it or you’ll miss important (or humorous) information.
@toppinzr it’s more that heavy metals are toxic. Bacteria is also organic, if I am correct and I might not be, colloidal silver can be provided in amounts that would make a person only mildly sick but kill bacteria. the issue of course is buildup of heavy metals in the body.
Who were these 100 people? Is an all cooked diet better, perhaps you would say a mixed diet is best. Humans are the only animals that use a kitchen. Maybe our whole culture is based on confirmation bias. Science is new to the game. I’m not against it, but we have survived for millions of years this way. Anyway, interesting video!
Why am I not subscribed to you?
My error has been corrected.
See, I must be sick or something, because I actually go out of my way to avoid experiencing things that appear to be socially popular. I experience the opposite of conformation bias. I have a bias *away* from conformity.
… and I mean sometimes to the extent that I’ve suffered real damage as a result of stridently refusing to follow the herd.
@Zoppellaccia Dude, that is about the best comment I have read on Youtube, nice.
@C0nc0rdance Better blue than radioactive or retarded.
Silver was used as a germicide before antibiotics came along. It kills bacteria in vitro. I found something online saying it makes one’s immune system go into overdrive, trying to eliminate the silver. These alternative cures often have some element of truth. Maybe putting the immune system into overdrive is beneficial in some ways.
The truth is more nuanced than just “people fooling themselves”.
@toppinzr
Topically ONLY, and it does so by non-specific heavy metal toxicity. Uranium, Lead and Mercury work just as well.
Colloidal silver does actually work as an antibiotic, something you don’t mention.
Real information is rare. Thank you sir!
Forget it folks………nothing to see here.,
You are a prominent, well spoken speaker. I believe you could sell corn products to any entropy(ed) american in any emergency center (in the states anyhow). So I will review, study and memorize your tone, borrow sources from cnn and fox. And I will have the ability to have all the power to convince an angus calf that not only should the information be considered important (and be heard),
Where is part 2?
Actually
The fact that wakefield was paid to do the study for one side doesn’t interest me that much – Doesn’t matter how or why you get results the results matters
The thing that proves that it is complete and utter BS is that he had a sample size of 12 and took blood illegally from children….
@Zoppellaccia not jazz. definitely not jazz; jazz sends me into a blind rage.
Excellent, thank you for this information…
The fact you say “when you look for this…you will find many examples of it” about examples of confirmation bias, is asking for a confirmation bias in the search of conformation bias…
Irony win