Overcoming Confirmation Bias
By Sam Alix
Have you ever had a moment when things really click? I recall an example from when I attended San Jacinto College, when psychology professor Alfred Lara covered the topic of overcoming confirmation bias and the light bulb came on. Here is the definition:
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values.
In other words, if something does not align with what one believes — COVID-19 vaccines’ ineffectiveness, for example — data that supports that belief is embraced and any subsequent data showing that it is actually effective against variants will be dismissed.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. faced this reality during the civil rights movement. How did he overcome this? Dr. King purposefully listened and practiced empathy for those who opposed his views. Then, he would take good points from those that opposed his perspective and combine both perspectives to come up with root cause solutions. Lastly, he operated under Agape Love. In other words, Dr. King did not have a hidden agenda. The civil rights movement was launched for the betterment of all.
What can we learn as we apply this approach to COVID-19 recovery? Overcoming confirmation bias requires listening to others that oppose the CDC’s response — listening, affirming their reality, gathering data to be used in the root cause solution, applying a sincere framework based on the solution without hidden biases, and moving forward together.
In conclusion, 100% buy-in is unrealistic and that should not be anyone’s goal. You can’t get two people to agree 100% of the time; to expect millions to do so is impossible. Continuing to operate in honesty, openness, sincerity, and respect is the surefire approach to overcoming confirmation bias, thus saving the lives of countless people at risk of COVID-19 and its variants.
Sam Alix is a regular contributor to the COVID-19 Observer and is Co-Founder of CHAMP.
Photo credit: Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
