Author: Michelle " Mace" Curran
Do You Have Blinders On? | Confirmation Bias is a term we’ve heard a lot over the last few years as science has become a debate topic and you hear qualified experts providing completely opposite interpretations on the same topic. But what role does it play in your life if you aren’t doing studies and […]
Do You Have Blinders On? | Confirmation Bias is a term we’ve heard a lot over the last few years as science has become a debate topic and you hear qualified experts providing completely opposite interpretations on the same topic. But what role does it play in your life if you aren’t doing studies and interpreting scientific data?
What is it?
The dictionary definition of confirmation bias is “the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional and often results in ignoring inconsistent information.”
How does it impact us?
Turns out this bias affects our lives and our decisions on a regular basis. How we consume news and social media are obvious examples. A less polarizing example is how we interpret other’s reactions to us. If you worry a lot about what people think and are self-conscious you may interpret the same situation very differently from someone who is confident.
Let’s say your normally friendly co-worker is a bit short with you at the office then doesn’t respond to a text later that evening. Person A who has many insecurities may conclude the coworker is mad at them or no longer wants to be friends. Person B who doesn’t have these insecurities may interpret this interaction as an indicator the coworker is stressed or extremely busy that day. The exact same interaction can change the relationship between these two people depending on how it is received.
Airborne, how we receive information and interpret it can make us very effective pilots or send us down a dangerous path. In situations where a lot of information is coming at you quickly our brains are primed to use confirmation bias as a mental shortcut to help us process things. In this fast-paced environment one of the most effective ways to improve performance is through preparation. However, we can prepare to a point that limits our flexibility to adapt and closes our mind to unexpected new information.
As a pilot check rides are a necessary evil. No one enjoys them, but we understand why they’re there. No matter how many you have done they are stressful. Personally, I would spend a ton of time preparing, chair flying…visualizing every part of the flight.
One checkride in particular, I took off, flew the departure, went out and did all the required items, and it was going great. I was prepared. I had rehearsed. Feeling good about how the flight was going, I returned to the airfield and started maneuvering to enter the pattern for the runway I had departed from. The controller said something about a point that was part of the pattern for the opposite runway. I assumed they must have misspoken. A few more things were said that didn’t quite make sense, but I ignored them. I had rehearsed this. I knew where to go and what to do.
Suddenly, my evaluator said calmly, “Mace, they switched runways.” It was like a lightbulb turned on. They had switched which runway they were landing on since we had taken off. It had been there right in front of me. So many radio calls that made it obvious, but I had rehearsed. I knew where to go. I had blinders on.
I was so prepared and so focused on the plan that I ignored all the evidence that the plan needed to change. Prepare, but don’t let that preparation blind you to evidence that the plan needs to change.
How can I prevent it?
In your day-to-day life do your research, form your opinions, but don’t let what you know to be true now keep you from new evidence that should cause you to reevaluate in the future. Our thoughts don’t always align with facts. Some questions we can ask to help ensure we aren’t headed down a rabbit hole thanks to our own biases are:
These are questions that can help us keep an open mind. Be willing to be proven wrong. Be excited to be proven wrong, because if you are you just learned something. I liken it to walking around with broccoli in my teeth. If I am, I want someone to tell me because I look foolish and don’t even know it. If there is evidence that shows I am wrong, I want to know because I look foolish and don’t even know it.
Article written by Michelle “MACE” Curran an Inspirational speaker
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Doing good for customers is something that is inherently right. I admire purpose-driven companies. They have a strong commitment to a noble cause that helps them avoid the pitfalls of short-termism and significantly do good for society in some way. Whatever a company’s purpose, I believe that those with integrity ensure that the golden thread […]
I mean, isn’t that the nature of goals to begin with? What’s missing between you and your goals might be walking the walk of your goals — not just talking the talk. Or rather, running the run of your goals. I’ll tell you what I mean. Goals are easy to think of but harder to achieve, aren’t […]
You cave to peer pressure and put your name in a contest to riding the bull. Suddenly – you win! What was a joke and dare moments before, you now see your name on the rodeo board, everyone is freaking out with excitement because you were chosen, and the exhilaration quickly turns to dread. This […]
To succeed, you have to Training Others to establish boundaries. But boundaries are only as good as your ability to communicate them. If people don’t know your boundaries, they become ineffective and are more likely to be discarded. Training other people on your boundaries requires learning how to say no. That doesn’t […]
On a recent flight, at almost every stop along the way, the airline I had chosen reminded me that I was flying with “the best” So can you over-compliment your CX. Airport signage told me…the CEO appearing on the pre-flight safety video told me…the flight attendant announcements told me…well, you get the picture. The problem […]
Go ahead and search ‘happy employees lead to successful companies’ and you will be bombarded with consistent uplifting messages about employees and happiness (LinkedIn, Fast Company, Business Insider, Fortune). Just about every content piece promotes employee happiness benefiting organizations at large. That is why, contrary to consistent media, I couldn’t believe that Phil Rosenzweig in The Halo Effect completely disagreed. With […]
Other than a brief period when I was in the Middle East, for the past 13 years I have not had an office out of which I worked. I have however, been part of teams that have worked closely together every day and Living in an online world: Virtual Collaboration and Virtual Teams One year […]
Let’s imagine for a moment that you are a gardener. Do any of the actions below seem like a good idea and Why Being Too Helpful Is A Bad Habit For Leaders? Planting a seed and then digging it back up from time to time to check its progress Forcing open a flower bud […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
