We need similar controls for the confirmation bias in the arenas of law, business and politics. Judges and lawyers should call one another on the practice of mining data selectively to bolster an argument and warn juries about the confirmation bias. CEOs should assess critically the enthusiastic recommendations of their VPs and demand to see contradictory evidence and alternative evaluations of the same plan. Politicians need a stronger peer-review system that goes beyond the churlish opprobrium of the campaign trail, and I would love to see a political debate in which the candidates were required to make the opposite case.

Skepticism is the antidote for the confirmation bias.

This article was originally published with the title The Political Brain.

3 Comments

1. 1. deeah 12:26 PM 10/4/08

   Maintaining an open mind requires having tolerance for ambiguity. In my field, mental health, I find it critical to my relationships with those who seek my help and at times, to diagnosis/treatment. My colleagues are sometimes less comfortable with my open stance. Especially during a presidential campaign !
   Clients sometimes ask for my judgement of an issue or of an action they've taken. Often it is something they must asses for themselves and so I provide a process for that. Or they may truly seek an objective response to something that I can appropriately take on. If the timing appears to be good/acceptable, I verbalize my biases to them and then offer my thoughts. Usually followed by questions meant to help them evaluate my response in light of their personal history. A person who genuinely wants to know what I think typically looks relieved to hear a fellow human put things into words with all the objectivity they can muster. Hmmm, that kind of relief as another interesting sort of brain activity. I wonder what the reward circuits look like then?

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. jkalmot1 in reply to deeah 10:45 AM 9/12/10

   Thank you. As a fellow mental health practicioner, my thoughts are very similar. I find myself easily able to not only tolerate different the different political beliefs, but to understand them.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. jkalmot1 in reply to deeah 10:46 AM 9/12/10

   Thank you. As a fellow mental health practicioner, my thoughts are very similar. I find myself easily able to not only tolerate different the different political beliefs, but to understand them.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this