An appraiser buys a new electric car. After months of driving to inspect properties, they notice more electric cars on the road than before. What type of bias is being demonstrated?

• A. Availability bias
• B. Selection bias
• C. Confirmation bias
• D. Anchoring bias

Answer: (C)

Confirmation bias shown here is when you interpret new information in a way that supports what you already believe. After buying an electric car, the appraiser is more attuned to EVs and may read the increased sightings as proof that electric cars are becoming more common. This leads them to give more weight to those sightings and overlook data that might suggest otherwise, reinforcing their expectation rather than testing it objectively.

Availability bias would focus more on how memorable or recent experiences make you think something is more prevalent, while selection bias would involve unfairly sampling information, and anchoring would tie judgments to an initial reference point. Here the emphasis is on interpreting observations to confirm a prior belief.