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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #077
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main topic of the lecture?
A) The history of psychological studies
B) A human tendency to favor certain information
C) How to form strong, fact-based beliefs
D) The unreliability of certain car brands
2. According to the lecture, what did the 1979 study find?
A) Participants easily changed their original beliefs.
B) Participants rated all evidence as equally valid.
C) Participants' beliefs grew stronger after seeing mixed evidence.
D) Participants were unable to recall any of the evidence.
3. What can be inferred about a person exhibiting confirmation bias?
A) They are actively trying to deceive others.
B) They are likely to consider opposing viewpoints fairly.
C) They may not be aware of their own mental prejudice.
D) They have a better memory than most people.
4. Why does the professor mention a car brand?
A) To demonstrate the effects of false advertising
B) To provide a common, everyday example of the bias
C) To argue that some beliefs are factually correct
D) To explain how the 1979 study was designed
Professor: Let's discuss a common cognitive bias known as confirmation bias. This is the tendency for people to actively seek out, interpret, and remember information that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses.
For instance, imagine someone believes a particular car brand is unreliable. They will likely pay more attention to news stories or friends' anecdotes about that brand breaking down, while ignoring or dismissing information about its reliability.
This isn't just about opinions. A famous study from 1979 gave participants mixed evidence on a controversial topic. The study found that participants not only favored the evidence that supported their initial stance, but they also reported that their original beliefs were even stronger after reading the conflicting information.
This bias is a significant barrier to objective thinking and can make it very difficult for people to change their minds, even when presented with factual evidence.
For instance, imagine someone believes a particular car brand is unreliable. They will likely pay more attention to news stories or friends' anecdotes about that brand breaking down, while ignoring or dismissing information about its reliability.
This isn't just about opinions. A famous study from 1979 gave participants mixed evidence on a controversial topic. The study found that participants not only favored the evidence that supported their initial stance, but they also reported that their original beliefs were even stronger after reading the conflicting information.
This bias is a significant barrier to objective thinking and can make it very difficult for people to change their minds, even when presented with factual evidence.
Highlights
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