
Quick navigation: BAM Home
Bias details, teaching context, teaching suggestions:
False Consensus Effect | Just World Bias | Social Desirability Bias | Self-Serving Bias | Groupthink Effect | Actor-Observer Bias | Confirmation Bias | Dunning Kruger Effect / Illusory Superiority | Halo Effect | Bias Blind Spot
Bias: Confirmation Bias
Definition of the Bias - Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or values while ignoring or dismissing conflicting evidence.
Confirmation bias in education can hinder fair assessment and critical thinking by reinforcing pre-existing stereotypes or assumptions about students, peers, or tools. This bias is particularly problematic when discussing controversial topics, as it can limit balanced exploration of diverse viewpoints, entrenching existing beliefs. Both teachers and students must strive for awareness of this bias to foster an equitable and open learning environment. Here are some examples:
Classroom Discussion Assumptions
Example Affecting Teachers: During a class discussion on a controversial topic like climate change, a teacher who personally supports renewable energy may unconsciously favor arguments from students who share their views, offering more positive feedback or elaboration on those points, while being more critical of opposing views.
IMPACT: This can stifle open discussion and discourage students with differing opinions from participating.
Example Affecting Students: A student who believes a specific political party is always wrong may only acknowledge points raised in a classroom discussion that criticize that party, ignoring any evidence that supports its positive contributions.
IMPACT: This limits the student’s ability to engage critically with diverse perspectives and develop nuanced understanding.
Classroom Performance/Group Projects
Example Affecting Teachers: A teacher who assumes a certain student is less competent due to past poor performance might interpret the student’s contributions to a group project as minimal or unimportant, even when they are equally valuable as others.
IMPACT: This can demotivate the student and create inequities in how their performance is assessed.
Example Affecting Students: A student who believes their peers from another grade level or group are less capable might discount their contributions during group work, relying more heavily on their own ideas.
IMPACT:This can hinder collaboration and result in missed opportunities to leverage diverse strengths within the group.
Homework Expectations / Feedback on Assignments
Example Affecting Teachers: A teacher who believes a student is particularly talented in math might overlook mistakes in their assignments, attributing errors to carelessness rather than lack of understanding. Conversely, they may scrutinize the work of a student they expect to struggle.
IMPACT: This can lead to unequal opportunities for feedback and growth, affecting learning outcomes.
Example Affecting Students: A student who has struggled with a subject in the past might only notice negative feedback on their homework, ignoring positive comments or signs of improvement, reinforcing their belief that they are "bad" at that subject.
IMPACT: This can erode the student’s confidence and motivation to improve.
Technology in the Classroom
Example Affecting Teachers: A teacher who is skeptical of technology in education might dismiss positive outcomes of a tech-based learning tool as anomalies, while emphasizing any technical difficulties or student complaints as evidence of the tool’s ineffectiveness.
IMPACT: This can lead to missed opportunities to integrate innovative tools that might benefit student learning.
Example Affecting Students: A student who believes that they learn better without digital resources may overlook the benefits of interactive tools or platforms and attribute any success to traditional methods, even when the technology has been helpful.
IMPACT:This can prevent the student from fully utilizing resources that could enhance their learning.
Parental Assumptions
Example Affecting Teachers: A teacher who believes that students from wealthier families are more likely to receive homework support at home may unconsciously set higher expectations for their assignments or interpret strong performance as expected rather than exceptional.
IMPACT: This can lead to unequal treatment, potentially disadvantaging students from less privileged backgrounds.
Example Affecting Students: A student whose parents have consistently emphasized the importance of excelling in one subject (e.g., math) might selectively focus on positive results in that subject while ignoring struggles in other areas, reinforcing their belief in their own "math ability."
IMPACT: This can create an imbalanced focus on one area of achievement at the expense of broader skill development.
In-class activity
Below is an activity in which you can use the same situation for teaching purposes. Please first read the scenario to your students and then have them discuss the situation and its implications. You can use the information provided to guide your class discussion
Scenario
Ms. Reynolds assigns Alex and Ben to collaborate on a presentation about the contributions of immigrants to the economy. Alex, who strongly supports immigration, has previously written articles highlighting its economic benefits, such as increased innovation and job creation. Ben, on the other hand, has campaigned for stricter immigration policies, arguing that immigration increases competition for jobs and strains public services. While preparing their presentation, both students selectively focus on evidence supporting their preexisting beliefs. During the presentation, Alex emphasizes immigration’s positive contributions, while Ben highlights the challenges it poses. Their conclusions are so contrasting that the class is surprised and asks Ms. Reynolds why two students working on the same topic arrived at such different interpretations of the same issue.
Teaching Points
This scenario illustrates confirmation bias, where individuals favor information that aligns with their existing beliefs while discounting evidence that contradicts them.
Impact on Educational Settings
Students may fail to engage critically with topics, leading to polarized or incomplete conclusions.
Group work may be affected, as individuals with differing perspectives struggle to reconcile conflicting interpretations.
Teachers may unconsciously favor or validate students' perspectives that align with their own beliefs, reinforcing the bias.
How to Overcome This Bias
Teach critical thinking skills: Encourage students to actively question their assumptions and explore alternative perspectives.
Promote balanced research practices: Require students to examine both supporting and opposing evidence before forming conclusions.
Use structured debates: Allow students to argue both sides of an issue to understand multiple viewpoints.
Foster a culture of curiosity: Normalize changing opinions when new evidence is presented.
Teachers Can Use This Example To...
Highlight how biases influence research and decision-making processes.
Teach the importance of critical evaluation of sources and evidence.
Show how diverse perspectives can enrich understanding of complex issues.
Reflect on how confirmation bias may affect their own teaching methods or interpretation of classroom discussions
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Alex and Ben focused only on evidence that supported their preexisting beliefs?
2. How could Ms. Reynolds guide Alex and Ben to create a more balanced presentation?
3. How might confirmation bias influence students' ability to learn and engage with controversial or complex topics?
4. What strategies can students use to avoid confirmation bias when conducting research or forming opinions?
5. How can teachers ensure their feedback and classroom discussions are not influenced by their own confirmation biases?