The Cognitive Science Of Assumption

http://www.dilbert.com/

Confirmation Bias is a tendency for certain people to favor information that confirms their own beliefs or assumptions.  These people exhibit this bias when they selectively collect and remember information that confirms their theory or biased way of thinking. The effect is much stronger in emotionally charged individuals who act out of emotion instead of logical comprehension.  Those who act on emotion often interpret inconclusive evidence as supporting their presumptive position or theory.   This ambiguous discernment of their own interpretation and memory is called upon in their effort to report or explain attitude polarization; meaning the disagreement becomes more extreme as the different parties consider evidence on the issue.

For instance one party may see a woman pointing a finger at an object, when in fact she may be pointing in a direction such as South, or she may also be shaking the finger as in reprimanding or making a point in a discussion.    Others see a family congregating on family property having private conversations,  yet the cognitive assumption by the slanted perception sees entirely something else in order to confirm their bias.  I  may see someone responsibly caring for the aesthetic value of their yard, another may slant the situation to confirm their bias in another direction.  Politicians are famous for their Confirmation Bias.

There is also belief perseverance when a person holds onto false information even though the truth has been presented to them.  Illusory correlation is when two events or situations are falsely perceived to be connected by an individual who relies on their confirmation bias over the reality of a given situation.  The old adage still rings true, Assume = Ass + u + me or when you assume things trying to make an ass of someone else you are truly the only ass in the situation!