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Evaluate the psychologist's handling of the study outcomes. Diagnose the specific cognitive tendency demonstrated in his actions, justify why this behavior constitutes a threat to scientific inquiry based on the provided definition of this tendency, and decide what corrective actions he should take to ensure a valid scientific conclusion.
Case context: A psychologist is evaluating the efficacy of a new cognitive-behavioral intervention for public speaking anxiety. During the study, he records detailed progress notes for the four participants who reported significant anxiety reduction, highlighting their success. However, he does not document or analyze the records of two participants who dropped out because their anxiety worsened, attributing their outcome to personal issues unrelated to the study.
Question: Evaluate the psychologist's handling of the study outcomes. Diagnose the specific cognitive tendency demonstrated in his actions, justify why this behavior constitutes a threat to scientific inquiry based on the provided definition of this tendency, and decide what corrective actions he should take to ensure a valid scientific conclusion.
Sample answer: The psychologist is demonstrating confirmation bias by selectively focusing on the four successful cases that validate his pre-existing belief in the intervention's efficacy, while actively disregarding the two contradicting cases where participants' anxiety worsened. This behavior threatens scientific inquiry because ignoring disconfirming evidence leads to reinforcing incorrect assumptions about the intervention's success. To correct this, he must systematically document and analyze all participant outcomes, including those that contradict his hypothesis.
Key points:
- Diagnosis of confirmation bias based on selective focus on validating cases and disregard of contradicting cases.
- Justification that ignoring contradicting data reinforces incorrect assumptions about the intervention's efficacy.
- Decision to implement systematic documentation and analysis of all participant outcomes to maintain scientific objectivity.
Rubric: The evaluation must correctly identify confirmation bias, justify the threat by explaining how ignoring disconfirming evidence leads to reinforcing incorrect assumptions, and propose corrective actions like systematically recording and analyzing all participant data.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Which of the following best describes the cognitive tendency known as confirmation bias?
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A psychological researcher is conducting a systematic review of the relationship between social media use and self-esteem. Arrange the steps below to illustrate how the researcher’s analytical process would logically progress if it were driven by confirmation bias.
When evaluating the scientific validity of a researcher's conclusion, a peer reviewer notes that the investigator only documented observations that aligned with their initial predictions while dismissing all contradictory data as 'procedural errors.' This systematic failure to objectively consider all evidence indicates that the study's findings are undermined by _____ bias.
According to the definition of confirmation bias, what typically happens to evidence that contradicts a person's pre-existing intuitive beliefs?
Confirmation bias reinforces incorrect assumptions because people tend to focus on and remember evidence that supports their existing beliefs while overlooking evidence that would challenge those beliefs.
Match each research or everyday scenario to the specific component of confirmation bias it best illustrates.
Analyze how confirmation bias operates as a cognitive heuristic during the data analysis phase of a research project. In your response, explain how the tendency to selectively focus on validating cases and disregard contradicting cases leads researchers to reinforce incorrect assumptions.
Evaluate the psychologist's handling of the study outcomes. Diagnose the specific cognitive tendency demonstrated in his actions, justify why this behavior constitutes a threat to scientific inquiry based on the provided definition of this tendency, and decide what corrective actions he should take to ensure a valid scientific conclusion.
Define confirmation bias and state the primary consequence this cognitive shortcut has on an individual's pre-existing assumptions when they encounter contradicting evidence.