Which bias involves seeking information that confirms preconceptions and discounts contradictory evidence?

• A. In-group bias
• B. Confirmation bias
• C. Anchoring bias
• D. Availability bias

Answer: (B)

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms what you already think and to discount evidence that contradicts it. This means you’ll lean toward data that supports your initial view and downplay or ignore data that challenges it.

In valuation or housing decisions, this bias can skew judgments: an appraiser or lender might focus on market data that reinforces a prior assessment of value or risk, while dismissing or rationalizing away data that would require revising that view. The result is an outcome driven more by preconceptions than by objective evidence, which is exactly what this question describes.

In-group bias centers on loyalty to a group, anchoring bias fixes on the first information encountered, and availability bias overemphasizes information that is memorable or recent. Each describes a different pattern of error that doesn’t capture the specific habit of seeking confirming evidence.