Confirmation bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions. As a result, people recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way, in particular for emotionally significant issues and established beliefs. Biased search, interpretation and recall have been invoked to explain attitude polarization (disagreeing parties diverging further when they are exposed to the same evidence), belief perseverance (beliefs persisting after the evidence for them is shown to be false), the primacy effect (data encountered early in a series being given more weight) and illusory correlation (people falsely perceiving an association between two events or situations). Explanations for these biases include wishful thinking and the limited human capacity to process information. Confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs and can maintain or strengthen beliefs in the face of contrary evidence. This can lead to disastrous decisions, especially in organizational, military and political contexts.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1745:

Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at Glenfinnan, Scotland, in an attempt to regain the British throne for his father, beginning the Jacobite rising of 1745. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_rising_of_1745

1759:

Seven Years' War: At the Battle of Lagos, British ships, having damaged several French vessels the previous day, pursued the remainder of the fleet to Lagos, Portugal, and continued the battle there in violation of Portuguese neutrality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lagos

2002:

Second Chechen War: A Russian Mil Mi-26 was brought down by Chechen separatists with a man-portable air-defense system near Khankala, killing 127 people in the deadliest helicopter crash in history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Khankala_Mi-26_crash

2017:

Around 250,000 farmed non-native Atlantic salmon were accidentally released into the wild near Cypress Island, Washington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Island_Atlantic_salmon_pen_break

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

dress: 1. (transitive) 2. (also reflexive and figuratively) To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. 3. (specifically) To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner. 4. To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone). 5. To arrange or style (someone's hair). 6. (also figuratively) To adorn or ornament (something). 7. To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop window). 8. (nautical) To ornament (a ship) by hoisting the national colours at the peak and mastheads, and setting the jack forward; when "dressed full", the signal flags and pennants are added. 9. To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid. 10. To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready. 11. To prepare, treat, or curry (animal hide or leather). 12. To prepare the surface of (a material, usually lumber or stone). 13. (historical or England, regional) To remove chaff or impurities from (flour, grain, etc.) by bolting or sifting, winnowing, and other methods. 14. (fishing) To prepare (an artificial fly) to be attached to a fish hook. 15. (agriculture, horticulture) To cultivate or tend to (a garden, land, plants, etc.); especially, to add fertilizer or manure to (soil); to fertilize, to manure. 16. (butchering) To cut up (an animal or its flesh) for food; specifically (hunting), to remove the internal organs (of a game animal) shortly after it has been killed so that the carcass cools more quickly; to field dress. 17. (cooking) To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food, especially a salad). 18. (film, television, theater) 19. To design, make, or prepare costumes (for a play or other performance); also, to present (a production) in a particular costume style. 20. To prepare (a set) by installing the props, scenery, etc. 21. (military) To arrange (soldiers or troops) into proper formation; especially, to adjust (soldiers or troops) into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other; to align. 22. (Northern England, archaic) To treat (someone) in a particular manner; specifically, in an appropriate or fitting manner; (by extension, ironic) to give (someone) a deserved beating; also, to give (someone) a good scolding; to dress down. [...] 23. (intransitive) 24. To put on clothes. 25. (specifically) To attire oneself for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner. 26. Of a thing: to attain a certain condition after undergoing some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use. [...] 27. (slang) Ellipsis of cross-dress. 28. (butchering) Of an animal carcass: to have a certain quantity or weight after removal of the internal organs and skin; also, to have a certain appearance after being cut up and prepared for cooking. 29. (military, sometimes imperative as a drill command) Of soldiers or troops: to arrange into proper formation; especially, to form into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other. 30. (sports) Of a sportsperson: to put on the uniform and have the equipment needed to play a sport. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dress

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance.   --Orville Wright https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Orville_Wright